


To Mend The Broken

by Riasha



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Annabeth Chase Bashing (Percy Jackson), Betrayed Percy Jackson, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Camp Jupiter (Percy Jackson), F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 85,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riasha/pseuds/Riasha
Summary: Heroes are born, not made.It is a famous saying. However,  not everything that glitters is gold.Every story has two parts. Follow the journey of Olden Gods, heroes and nature spirits as they try to heal the broken hero.
Comments: 36
Kudos: 162





	1. Past sees the future

**Hi, I'm posting my new work for the first time on Ao3. I am an avid lover of PJO series. And I have tried to add certain self -modification. Please be gentle in your comments. I am not against any character or ship, however I am trying to share with you my version of this great work. Cross posted of Wattpad.**

**So, without any further ado.**

**Let's begin.**

Olympian Gods are known for many things, their rage, their tempers, their blessings and bloody fights and their petty feuds. But one should remember that above all they are a family, though whimsical at times, and as such they have their gatherings, the Solstices.

As every other family gatherings, these gatherings are also full of gossipy people, food and music, however, no Olympian meeting is without glaring elder gods, arguing goddesses and betting young gods and subtle threats alongside veiled insults. 

It was one such meeting, but this time was a bit special. Some favored heroes were invited to watch the proceedings -  
Perseus, Heracles, Theasus, Orion, Bellerophone, Oddessyus etc. Thetis was invited alongside her mortal husband King Peleus and her demigod child Achilles, who was just 6 years old right now and already the bearer of blessing of Styx. Jason was invited, along with argonauts, however only Patroclus of Opus, about 7 and a son of Menoetius, was able to attend with him as others were far too wary of Gods.

It was an attempt of Hestia to bring her family closer. She had wished that the appearance of their mortal children might keep the Gods in check. However, she lacked such luck, probably because Tyche was again arguing with Nemesis to pay any attention to the wish of the usually forgotten goddess. 

Aphrodite was busy chatting with Hecate, the former asking the latter for her aid to diffuse the rising tensions between Ares and Hephaestus. Hecate could be very persuasive, specially with her charms and spells and Aphrodite feared that the rising conflicts between brothers may lead her to be forced to choose one. Oh! Don't get Aphrodite wrong, she loves her little games and enjoys her indulgence but making her to choose one is rather hard. Afterall, one can't force love to choose a side.

Her son Eros was also in attendance alongside her daughter Harmonia. Both kept stealing glances at the assorted heroes for personal reasons, Eros a bit worried while Harmonia joyful, making the heroes worried. Phobos and Demos were also present, both kept smirking to themselves while making the onlookers nervous.

Triton, the heir of Poseidon, was also present alongside his daughters Pallas and Triteia. Along with him were other children of sea - Kympoleia, Rhodes, Herophile, Benthesikyme, Ourea. And on his father's persuading, he also brought Khryasor with him. Specially because, Bellerophone brought Pegasus with him. And Poseidon wanted his children to get together.

Then there were other minor gods and goddesses along with Pan and his entourage of Satyrs and Nymphs. Inspite of stress between Elder Gods, the environment was joyous and pleasant. 

However, it was soon going to be changed. There was something ominous in the air, the elders gods could feel the thrumming tension, the restless energy lurking around every one. All felt being at an edge. 

And it began with the banging of the doors, with the force of storm, the silent shiver of Mount Olympus, the sudden darkening of skies and the bellowing wind. And with a strike of thunder, appeared the three ladies of doom. The daughters of Ananke, the weavers of life and death, the Moirai - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos.

Their appearance brought everything at a standstill. Apprehensions rose and nerves alit with fears. The arrival of fates rarely signaled something good. They were the bringer of Chaos, of wars and battles. Their presence made others wary, but the most worried were the heroes and their sires. 

Ultimately, forced by the nervous looks of Gods, Zeus , the king of Gods, asked the fates -  
" While it is an honor to be your host Moirai, and we do hope that you grace us with breaking bread with us, what has brought upon Olympians this sudden visit of Fates? " 

The three fates turned as one to him, their withered faces making him more wary, and as one they answered -

"Olympians and assorted heroes, be at ease. Our arrival is not to announce a war, but to seek counsel. Rarely, as it happens, an appearance worries us as it causes the overlapping of different threads connected to different pantheon. In such cases, we generally get our counterparts involved to solve the mess, because most of these heroes remain subtle in their lifespans. And the overlaps is easily ignored as it never causes much trouble, however, some heroes became greater than others. Unnoticed their ancestors might be, they manage to get the threads tangled and it results in much complications. Sometimes, as it happens, such threads are handled by Ananke, and as such we are relieved of our worries. But this time, she , instead of finishing the lifespan in a proper manner, managed to hide the complications from our sight. And this resulted it much more trouble. "

Although the opening statement of Fates put their audience at ease, the later rant made them even more wary.

Different pantheons? 

Ananke?

Hiding life-thread from fates? 

Each statement brought them more worry. 

However, one question remained at the forefront of everyone's mind -  
" Who is this person? Why fates speak of them with such worry and yet fondness?"

Fondness, yes. Though fates attempted to seem indifferent, the gods could pick upon the slight hint of care in their words. The question seemed more important because the thought that this person might have some influence upon fates, made the elder Gods wary.  
Zeus felt even more suspicious, as his position as King of Gods made him paranoid and wary, and so, he asked the still ranting Moirai;  
"Pardon my curiosity my ladies! But who is this person you speak of? Of which lineage and region? What have they done to gain your esteem? Your worries seem more personal that professional, if you pardon my rudeness. "

The words of Zeus brought the tant of Moirai to an end and once again he became a target of three beady eyed glares. This raised his tense hackles, however, the fates merely sighed and shared a look.

Again, they began their words -  
"Calm your worries King Zeus! The person, we speak of, hasn't been born yet. And neither would he be in near future. His story begins after about 3000 years in future. However, we assure you that his deeds are numerous and amazing enough to make him worthy of our notice, despite his lineage."

This time it was Athena who raised the question-  
"But if the person in question hasn't been born yet, what has bothered you so?"

"What worries us Wise Athena is the the fact that this person has brought various changes. Many grand deed has been committed by him that led to the betterment of the world as we know it. But now this person....  
Well, let us just say that they have suffered a lot. And now they seek release from the bonds that tie them. If the circumstances remained normal, a normal suicide might have sufficed. But they held a very precarious position and thus we worry what might happen if they took matters in their hands. While we do trust their sense of judgment and their selfless nature, we cannot possibly condone what has happened to them. Thus, we seek counsel to provide aid to this precious hero."

"But what has happened that brought such worthy soul to this point?" This question came from the kind Hestia. The fact that someone, so favored by fates, found themselves to the edge of suicide didn't sit well with her. Her gentle nature and worried tone won her a smile from the Moirai.

They answered, - " You would have liked them Hestia, they did brought your family closer and made it a bit peaceful. However, what they got in return of such favor..  
Well perhaps we should allow you a glimpse."

With a wave of hand the fountain near the garden turned into a lake. The Fates beckoned the Gods and their guests to take a look.  
The surface of lake shivered before turning into a shimmering glassy surface. And with baited breath everyone watched the unfolding scene. 

_The shimmering lake showed them the bowing figure of a young man. Though his face couldn't be seen, his overall bearing made it hard for them to think of him as anything more than a child. Probably 17 or 18._  
_His shoulders shook with his silent sobs, his fingers clenched and unclenched, his raven hair covering his face, the skin of his neck that could be seen seemed pale. He remained still, the shaking shoulders remained the only movement that could be seen. The Fates stood before him, hesitating and apprehensive, as the boy remained bowing.  
_ _Finally, Clotho, the spinner of life, began -  
" Your cries disgrace your deeds, O Hero! Don't cry anymore. We have told you, we don't control your fate now. Ananke took your thread and none can deny her. You must not lose hope."_

_  
_

_"I don't blame you," came the shaky answer. The boy remained bowed, his voice heavy with grief and mourning, and yet it touched the onlookers with its shaking timbre. His voice showed his weary resilience but it also showed his pain. It made Hestia ache. A voice of a lost hero. Nothing could be more damaging to the maiden of hearth and home._

_  
_

_"Then why you cry so? " questioned Lachesis. "We have seen you fight hopeless battles and appear victorious. Your name makes your enemies weary and your allies safe. O Hero! Your tears mocks your achievements. Be strong! Prove them wrong once again! Rise and fight! Heroes like you are not allowed to give up!"_

_  
_

_"My deeds ! Let past remain in past Fates. I grew weary and tired. My enemies now mock me and my allies shun me! None are willing to listen. And I tire of such madness. Tell me O Fates! How can I get my release? Have I not done enough? Have you got another war for me to fight? Have another enemy managed to rise? Tell me, the weavers of life and announcers of death! Tell me where should I go to cleanse the taint my birth has brought upon my lineage? "_

_  
_

_"Stop such theatrics!" Snapped Atropos. " You shame yourself with such words! The hero I knew was able to win lost battle, never did he lost his zeal to succeed inspite of all traps laid by enemies. You are the greatest hero we have seen. Cease such wallowing. This shouldn't become you!"_

_  
_

_Such words brought a chuckle out of the kneeling figure, " My apologies, my Ladies! However, my decision remains unchanged. Kindly grant my wish to die. Allow me the mercy of forgetfulness."_  
_Though the answer began with a humorous tone, the boy remained insistent that the fates grant him the wish of death._

__

_"Have you ever considered my hero, what would happen if we try to appeal to Ananke? In best scenario, she might give us your thread. While in bad case, she might erase you complete existence. It would be like never being born." Clotho said._

__

_"And that would be the greatest favor she could have ever done to me! "The figure exclaimed._

_"Do you really think so? Think of the changes you brought, the people you saved, the entire world owe you a lot for the various favors you have done. Do you really wish to be so selfish? " Queried Lachesis._

__

_"My entire existence has been nothing but cursed. Born of broken oaths, I brought nothing but misery and pain to those who cherished me. My mother bore scare from abuses to shield me from those who wished me harm. My sire called me a mistake and told me how he wished I was not born. My past allies tell me that I snatched the life of others to prolong my own. Tell me, what is one more act of selfishness? Let me prove them right. Besides, I am sure that they never needed me. In my absence, they will achieve grander goals. I was always a burden. Now, I wish to relieve them of their pain."_

__

_"These are not thy thoughts, child! Don't let others decide your worth! Their ill acts, fears, jealousy and misconceptions blind them to your importance. Be confident! This phase will pass." Consoled Atropos._

__

__

_"The only thought that stops me from driving my blade in my chest is the fear that I might taint it with my blood. I tire of such consoling words. Let me be free Fates, I beg you!" Came the choked reply._

With this the scene dissolved, leaving everyone to their thoughts. But the one thought that remained in their minds was the curiosity to know what happened to this hero.

The fates allowed the others a moment to collect themselves. Hestia had tears while the Elder Gods remained solemn. The minor gods felt worried while the heroes felt sympathy. To lose all hope hardly seems fitting for a hero. Yet the heroes knew how many times they had the same thoughts running through their minds.

"We tried to convince the hero," Clotho began. 

"However, he remained insistent in seeking death." Lachesis continued. 

"And so, we require aid," finished Atropos.

"But, we know nothing about this hero" Athena implored.

"That's why we will allow you all a chance to meet this hero and hear his tale. We believe that you might be able to make him see sense. What makes us worry is the way the boy think of his own existence. He did possessed a desire for death, some nihilistic thoughts, during his younger years, however now they have gotten far deeper and worse. We request your aid to make him realize his own worth. " the Fates intoned.

"Not that we do not wish to aid, however, why didn't you sought this aid from the future versions of us. I don't think we would have denied you and him this aid. " Poseidon observed. 

"Because you all, directly or indirectly, are a part of the tribulations he had faced. Even the fact that we have sought your aid remains unknown to him. We believe that you might be able to aid him and convince him without being biased or paranoid. And there is also the fact that we believe that he might be able to tell you how to be better rulers. So, all present, be ready to meet our hero -

_Perseus Achilles Jackson._


	2. The Future meet the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gods meet the hero. Time to face the future or not

**Hi. So, i am waiting for your comments.**

**Let's begin.**

The chant of his name brought the hero in front of the waiting crowd. There was a blast of light that forced the assembled guests to close their eyes. Slowly, as the light receded, the crowd opened their eyes.

The Gods, and their guests, held their breath as they laid eyes upon the mysterious figure. He was pale, his messy raven hair covered his eyes, he was of leaner build and almost sickly thin. The way he kept his eyes closed and his head bowed stopped them from taking a better look. The onlookers held back a gasp as the boy raised his face, even though his eyes remained sealed. The face in front of them was breathtaking. 

Even though his cheeks were gaunt and pale and his hair unruly, he had the noble looks of a God. To be honest, he seemed a child of elder three gods, for his looks seemed so similar to them. However, those closed to sea god felt as if looking at a softer version of Poseidon. He had long eyelashes, sharp jawline, high cheekbones, sharp pixie nose, petal lips and a broad forehead. He looked beautiful. However, the full appraisal of his looks remained incomplete until his eyes opened. 

The eager mischievous younger members of the audience silently urged him to open his eyes, while the elders regarded him with wary glances. However, their silent wishes remained unanswered as the boy simply turned towards fates, while keeping his eyes closed. 

"My ladies! I truly hope that you have called me to grant my request and that this is not another attempt to change my mind. " came the monotonous voice. This time the tone was blank, hiding no emotion to give a hint about the mental state of the speaker. 

The onlookers felt even more baffled as the fates seemed flinching at the words spoken by the newcomer. But what aroused doubts in the mind of Elder Gods was the manner in which the boy simply located the fates. Despite of being surrounded by Gods of different auras and strengths, instead of feeling overwhelmed, he simply acknowledged the fates as if the others didn't matter. The other suspicious act was the way he found the fates, even though the mortals might have not noticed, the gods did noticed the manner in which the fates had lessened their presence. Despite that, the strange boy found them out and questioned their reasons about bringing him here. As if he simply attuned himself to them. 

The elder Gods were also wary of the way the boy held himself, they did knew that his heroics had earned him the favor of fates, yet the slight flinch of Fates and the absolute lack of emotion in his tone as he addressed the fates, made them wonder about his true identity. And that's not counting the strong aura that surrounds the boy. The silent thrum of strength that surrounded the boy gave hint of great power and control. Despite looking pale and sickly, the power that the boy so effortlessly wielded made him appear as one of the stronger minor gods.

The heroes similarly felt wary and yet the children of sea felt an unexplainable kinship with the boy. The brothers wanted to comfort him and sisters wished to embrace him, though none could give the reason behind such thoughts. The young children felt the wariness of their guardians and kept that distance, however, Achilles tried to take a closer look only to be pulled back by Thetis, who herself had to pulled back by Peleus.

The question of the newcomer caused a troubling silence from both sides, that was finally broken by Atropos -  
" No hero! We have not decided to grant your wish, however we have brought you to place to help you heal."

"Heal? I don't remember being sick, my ladies. Nor have I sustained any recent injuries that would cause me to seek medical aid. Why then, have you brought me here my ladies? The only thing that ails me is your tardiness in fulfilling my wish. Please my ladies, I beseech you to not make me wait any longer. Every passing moment brings me inconsolable pain. Let me be free! Do I need to fight another war for you to consider my wish? Tell me and I will fulfill your bidding! Only promise me that you will let me rest in sweet oblivion, in the end of tasks you assign me." Such words spoken with desperate pleading brought tears in the eyes of Hestia. Her brothers, specially Poseidon, felt disturbed with such blatant expression of one's desire for death.

Hades had seen many heroes, yet very few had shown any such desire. Many feared the idea of death, many complained and cajoled, many fell into despair when confronted with the reality of mortal life or scoffed at the thought; but this hero didn't shy from the idea of death. Instead, he desired it. Such insistence made Hades amused and wary, yet worried. He might be the King of Dead, he wasn't completely heartless, such nihilistic thoughts made him feel sorry for the child's ordeals.

Zeus, while suspicious of the boy's heritage and strength, felt dismayed. He had admired heroes, especially his children, for their zeal and resilience. To meet one such hero, so young and so broken, made him fear for the sanity of his future self. 

Poseidon, the most temperamental and reckless of the elder Gods, felt worried and saddened. Though he couldn't explain it, he felt some connection to the young hero. The almost pleading tone of the boy, as he wished for death, made him wish to hurt all who hurted this boy.

The Elder Goddesses were not any better. Hera, the goddess of family and marriage, could sense the feeling of betrayal and the enormous pain it caused the hero. The betrayal of family and bonds had hit him hard. It made Hera upset. She had always desired a perfect family, with no conflicts or fights, her reluctance to accept Hades and Hephaestus stemmed from this obsession with perfection. While she could relate to betrayal, her husband's casanova-ways left too much to be desired, the despair made her angry. She preferred rage and punishment, one can easily tell with the way she regarded her husband's illegitimate children, instead of wallowing in grief. 

Demeter usually remained indifferent to others, her loss of her Kore made her uninterested in general affairs, though the sense of loss that emanated from the hero made her uncomfortable. 

Hestia was the worst. Her eyes full of tears, she wished to console the hero, to let him rest by her hearth, to reestablish his dwindling faith and hope. The hopeless state of the boy hurted her.

Aphrodite could sense the heartbreak and heartache. The deepness of the bonds and the hollowness that consumed the boy due to the shattering of those bonds. She wished to cry as well, the only thought of her image held her back. Others would not be as understanding to her as they would be to Hestia. Her children Eros and Harmonia felt the same dilemma. 

Ares felt the despair of a warrior and it filled him with rage. Being the lord of war, he admired heroes and to see one so lost made him angry. Hephaestus, on the other hand, could relate to being unacceptable. The actions of Hera and his own sense of inferiority made him feel unwanted in his family. He emphathized with the hero.

Apollo sensed the lack of lies and true nature of the hero. Being the god of logic, he could bring many logical arguments to compel the hero, however none felt right. He felt sad and dismayed with the song of brokenness that emanated from the hero's soul.

Artemis, being the famed man-hater, felt wary at the first sight of the boy. But his words made her think of the girls she saved from abusive homes. She felt empathy and sadness for the broken child.

Hermes sensed the honestness in spoken answer. As the usual helper of heroes and gods of paths, he felt helpless and upset to be unable to aid the hero to find his path.

Athena, the wise, felt dismayed. She too had seen and aided many heroes, but she never met one so lost. She didn't knew anything about him and still  
wished to aid him, and this made her more concerned.

Dionysus, being the god of madness and mental health, felt the worsening mental condition of the hero. Though he felt a bit worried, his feelings for heroes made it hard fo him to offer any help or guidance. 

Finally, the curiosity of younger guests got it better of them and Achilles asked -  
"Won't you open your eyes? Why have you kept them closed? Is there something wrong with your eyes? Why are you talking like this? "

This barrage of innocent questions made the onlookers wince, specially the parents of the young hero felt worried. However, this only earned them a twitch from the newcomer. This made Achilles pout. But before the guardians could take a breath of respite, the figure turned towards them, no, towards their young charge. What made the move more scary was the manner in which the hero had found the questioner. It was as if watching the aura of the hero unfurl itself and stretch towards the child. Like a predator locating a prey through barest of sounds it made. It made the assembled audience gawk.

"My Apologies! However, I believe that it is within my rights to keep my eyes closed in the presence of those who might cause me harm, if they despise my manner of staring. Though, I believe that Fates could be generous, especially considering the time that had wasted in their attempts to make me see 'reason', sadly it doesn't stops my sense of wariness and self-interest to prevent me from making unnecessary mistakes. I have learned from experience that divine existences never liked my presence among them, and if my ability of sensing hasn't been lost yet, I can easily say that I am in presence of divinities. No need to ruin this fragile situation, won't you agree, my young hero?" Came the blunt reply, though it made the young ones confused, the elders understood the insinuations made and this made them more wary.

"Come now, my hero!" Lachesis finally began,"I have never seen you this conscious or concerned about your actions. You normally behaved in most reckless manner ever known to mankind in your conversations with divine. I still remember you witty snark and ability to astound the Olympians with your sarcasm. We still remember the stunts you pulled only a few years ago. "

This statement did nothing to soothe the worries of the divine presences.  
Nor did the answer this statement earned the fates.

"My stunts! Ha! Yes, Fates! I do remember them, as I do remember the reward they earned me from those for whom I undertook them. Let's not dawdle anymore, my ladies. Let me know your decision, so I could make mine." Came the solemn answer.

"And what would be that decision, my hero?" Enquired Atropos.

"Why, the manner of my death! "  
Came the nonchalant response.

However, this nonchalance finally brought the Gods out of their stupor, and it was Hermes, the God of Diplomacy, that led the beginning of a conversation that will haunt the listeners for ages to come.

"Oh, come now my hero! This is hardly a way to behave, especially towards fates. Come now, why don't we all sit down? This might be a cold season, I don't believe that you are not tired. Do you prefer sweets? Let us have a conversation. Who knows, it might lessen your apprehensions towards us. "  
Hermes commented in a soothing tone, accompanied with a soothing spell from Hecate, to bring the boy down from his guard.

Before the boy could answer, though his backing steps let them be aware of his reluctance, it was Hestia who spoke -  
"Indeed! A well made suggestion. Come child. Let us have a simple chat. "

Once again, the crowd gaped at the ease of the manner in which the stranger turned his closed eyes towards the speakers. And then came the silent shrug.

Before any God could comment on such insolent response, the fates took things in their hands.  
"Ah, yes! A good idea indeed! Tell us begin with a simple introduction." Agreed Clotho.  
And Lachesis continued- " Why don't you introduce yourself, my hero? Say, hello! We can talk about our decision later."

Before the stranger could comment, Atropos took the hint -  
" Everyone meet Perseus Achilles Jackson. We will let you learn of his titles through his story. Now Perseus" and this earned a gasp from the other Perseus, " open your eyes and properly meet your audience. They are the ones who will aid us in making our decision regarding your life-thread, so I suggest you to be on your best behavior. "

This finally managed to move the hero, or probably he decided to lower his guard, as though he didn't opened his eyes, he nodded to acknowledge the words of fates. 

But before they could begin, the fates showed other hesitation, that earned them a frown from the onlookers. Apollo enquired-  
"What is wrong my ladies?"

"Ah Well! You see we pulled a number of favors to make this possible, on the condition that the hero will face at least the emotional upheavals such events caused him and physical signs for at least nonlethal wounds. So...." muttered Atropos.

"Well it won't be my life, if there is no problems. Let us begin fates. The sooner we finish it, the sooner it would be my time for eternal rest." The boy commented in a shrugging manner.

And so, finally the story began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be patient.


	3. The Mystery Unfolds ( Part-1)

**Hi, thank you for your kind comments.**

**Let's begin.**

As the Gods settled in their thrones, they made seating arrangements for their guests. The godly children of sea sat by the throne of Poseidon and the godly children of sky by the side of Zeus's throne. This made Hera angry, but a look from Zeus kept her silent.

The fates and the newcomer sat side by side, near the hearth of Hestia. The fates chose that position to lessen the pain of the boy. Hestia increased the soothing ability of her hearth to keep him eased.

But this caused more wariness in the hero, as he asked the fates -   
"Though I have certain guesses due to the divine auras, I believe my ladies, you have forgotten to tell me where exactly we are?"

To that, the fates hesitated again. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the speaker, a nature spirit heard the question and answered -   
" Why it is the era of greatness? Heracles, Theseus, Orion, Perseus roam the lands to fulfill their quests. It is the era of peace, after Gignatomachy. "  
With every word the aura around the hero darkened, the atmosphere became stormy, the earth shivered and the lake-water shook, forming a miniature cyclone. The gods felt amazed and horrified at the nonchalant display of power, while the elder three felt worried. It was the noise of snapping shears that brought the hero out of his trance. Then he apologized to the audience and resettled in his seat, only this time his surroundings seemed more morose. 

Thetis sat with her child and husband. Achilles kept staring at the stranger and Thetis also found it hard to remove her sight from the stranger. She felt connected to the child, however, she could not explain why. Jason, Patroclus and Oddessyus sat together near the seats of Theseus and Heracles, who were sitting with their mortal brothers. 

Pan, along with his entourage, sat by the throne of his father Hermes, near the throne of his friend Dionysus. 

When everyone settled down, the fates snapped their fingers and came forth a book called **" The Lightning Thief".**  
The very title made the Gods nervous, lightning was the symbol of Zeus and to listen about its theft, this made them wary for their future-selves.

Clotho began - 

" First chapter - ..  
. ** _I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher_**

The very title brought the listeners at an edge. Though there were questions about pre-algebra, as none knew about it, the idea that one can vaporize someone accidentally didn't sit well for many.

**Look I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

This statement made the Gods apprehensive, even though they didn't knew the speaker or their circumstances, to be told that they didn't want to embrace their reality, their divine family, made them upset.

Unbeknown to them, most of the olden heroes felt the need to nod. Though none did so, in fear of the anger it will earn them.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one my advice is:close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth and try to lead lead a normal life.**

This brought many exclamations of surprise, never had anyone hear of any parent denying the child of their divine parentage. Mothers yearned to be blessed with a God's child. However, this sentence made Thetis and Peleus wary and Poseidon tried to not look suspicious.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous.**

Heroes barely held back a nod.

**It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

Gods felt pained, none of them liked to hear about the death of their children, but to be told this in such a blunt manner , this made them saddened.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

"What is fiction?" Questioned the ever curious Athena, finally overcoming some of her apprehensions to enquire about future.

"An imaginary tale spun by a writer to entertain their readers. " Answered Lachesis.

"So, if this fiction is written for others to read, does this means that are a large number of literate people? " Athena mused joyously, to which Clotho nodded.

While some of the Gods felt amused with the words of Athena, the elder Gods caught the hidden truth. And Hades addressed the fates -

"Why would they think of this as 'fiction' , my ladies? It is impossible for such truth to be hidden. If the child is a demigod, it is obvious that he must have some knowledge of our world. To be ignorant of his heritage is one thing, but to think of our divine existence as unreal or imagined tales?  
How is that possible?"

This question made the fates share a look among themselves. This exchange made the Gods more fidgety. Some noticed that the fates threw a glance to the boy, as if hopeful that he might give the answer, but the hero remained as still as statue.

Finally, it was Atropos who decided to bit the bullet. With a sigh, she spoke-  
"Your concerns are valid, king of dead! In the future, with the advancement of mortals and rise of new lands and religious beliefs, many pantheons decided to hide themselves from mortals."  
This led to gasps of horror and outrage from the assembled audience, the Gods felt disturbed and worried for the future , while the heroes wondered what it would mean for them. The rising noise of protests and disbelief, finally got a reaction out of the hero. He rose and created a air - whistle, by compressing the water vapour in form of stem. The shrill noise made the onlookers stare at him in amazement, while the fates shared another exasperated look. 

When the last whisper died out, the closed-eyed hero bowed and said in a monotone - 

" My apologies honorable audience! However, I believe we should keep going, if I am correct in my assumptions, we will face many more troubling circumstances in this story. I assure you that with time you will gain your answers."

Though this brought some more exclamations and mutterings, Clotho began again silencing all of them.

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

Once again the Gods paled along with the heroes. 

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

Some mischievous ones shared a glance but didn't got a chance to react.

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

This finally made the Gods properly aware of the hero's name.

**Well actually it is Perseus Achilles Jackson, but I prefer Percy. As for why, well it's a long story.**

This brought many surprised looks as the aforementioned hero and child found themselves under close scrutiny.  
While the shorter version made the former hero wonder whether he should be amused or offended.

However, some intuitive ones realized the silent maneuver to change a possible dark subject.

**I'm almost twelve years old, that is I will be 12 in coming August.**

This again raised some eyebrows, generally the training of heroes began much sooner. But to be ignorant of one's heritage upto this point was quite a feat. This made some gods wonder if the boy had some protection to hide his aura from the Satyrs, as they were the usual finders of heroes.

**Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

"What is New York? What is a boarding student? What is school? What does he mean by troubled children? "  
Athena launched a barrage of questions.   
Lachesis answered her -   
"New Youk is a city of future world. Yancy Academy is a school, that is , a place where children get educated in the future. A boarding school is a place where students reside and study, instead of returning to their families every day. A troubled child is one who faces some kind of problems, normally mental ones. However, our hero here is just being his usual sarcastic self.

**Am I a troubled kid?**

This earned the hero a snort, from fates.

**Yeah. You could say that.**

Now, that snort turned into laughter as the boy shook his head and the others watched bemused.   
However, Hestia felt upset with the sad undertone she felt from the statement. 

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it,**

This further increased the sadness of Hestia as others sobered as well.

**but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

" A museum is a place of exhibition where things related to past or knowledge are exhibited for the general public. Manhattan is a place in New York. A bus is a mode of transportation, while yellow is the color of the vehicle. School divides children in grades or class,according to their ages or performance, sixth grade is one such group of 11-12 years old. A school trip means that a class of children related to that institution are taken on a journey to increase their knowledge. Roman, well I assure you, you will learn about them later. " Atropos explained even before Athena could open her lips. 

This earned the wisdom goddess some snickering from her brothers, whom she silenced with a glare.

**I know-it sounds like torture.**

This angered Athena and made heroes like Theseus and Oddessyus upset. To think of an opportunity to learn as torture, well it was hardly a positive approach to ones betterment.

But before any of them could say a word , Clotho continued. 

**Most Yancy field trips were.  
But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

This at least eased some of the tensions of the knowledge seekers.

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee.**

" A wheelchair is a a chair fitted with wheels for use as a means of transport by a person who is unable to walk as a result of illness, injury, or disability. While Coffee is a famous refreshing drink of the future. Latin is a language and Mr. Brunner was our hero's instructor in this language. " Lachesis answered the oncoming inquiries.

However, some thought that they do know a person with similar description.  
Before anyone could make any assumptions, Clotho took off again.

**You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

This again made some laugh and some felt appalled.

**However, generally the teachers had the tendency to either signal me out as a trouble maker or to plainly ignore me, so it wasn't like that he had much of competition. Though, there were some other types of teachers but...  
Well, let's just say Mr. Brunner was better.**

This time even the oblivious ones took note of the ominous tone. The young ones felt baffled as adults exchanged grim looks.

**Anyway, I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble. Not that it would be surprising at this point, but hey, one can hope.**

The tension was high,as the adults sensed the oncoming danger. 

**Boy, was I proven wrong?**

This did nothing to soothe nerves.

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. The teacher asked me to check the range by pulling a fake lever, only for it be the real one. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.**

"A battlefield? War Cannon?" This question came from both Ares and Athena.  
While Hestia asked - "What does he mean by expelled? You were injured?"

"A battlefield is a place where one or several battles has taken place, sometimes schools takes their charges to such places to make them aware of the destruction of war and to acquaint them with their history. A war Cannon is a weapon of war. The lever is a part of its mechanism. And no Hestia, the hero or his companions were unharmed, however the incident caused some problems for the institution and so he was casted out from that institution. " Atropos answered.   
While Ares felt excited about future wars and Hephaestus took interest in the idea of weapons, Hestia disapproved of the school for punishing a child instead of investigating the case.

**And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.**

This brought some chuckles.

**And the time before that… Well, you get the idea.**

The mischievous ones wanted to listen more, but the fates didn't feel like to entertain them.


	4. The Mystery Unfolds ( Part-2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will see changes.

**_Hi, I'm so sorry for not completing the first chapter, but here we are. As you will notice, I have changed some parts._ **

**_So, let's continue._ **

Clotho continued- 

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

Considering the previous track record of the trouble that seems to follow the hero, some felt that to be quite hard. Specially those Gods, who kept a look on their children, felt the impossibility of such good happenings. But none commented. 

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter and ketchup sandwich**. 

"Peanut butter?Ketchup? Sandwich?" Asked the children.  
"Kleptomaniac? " Asked Athena.  
"A girl?" Asked Artemis.

Atropos answered them -

"Sandwich is a food, a snack made up of two pieces of bread with a filling between them, eaten as a light meal. 

Peanut butter is a paste of ground roasted peanuts, usually eaten spread on bread.

While ketchup is a smooth sauce made chiefly from tomatoes and vinegar, used as a relish.  
Kleptomaniac is a person who is habitually a thief, that means, one with compulsive desire to steal even if they don't require anything.   
And yes Artemis, in the future girls are also allowed to study alongside the boys. Many of them even get jobs and can remain unmarried if they wish."

While this news made many goddesses pleased , along with the heroes. Hestia noticed another anomaly. 

"So what you mean is that this Nancy girl is hitting one of her fellow learners with pieces of food?" Hestia questioned to which Clotho nodded in affirmation. 

This disturbed some of the listeners. While Artemis and her hunters shrugged, for them their must have been some reason behind such actions, and if there isn't any, well the target is male and it is nonlethal afterall.

Apollo, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. As a protector of youth, he felt troubled with such acts but he said nothing. 

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.**

This did nothing to reduce the wariness of Apollo. One glance at the silent figure, by the side of fates, made Apollo and others aware his clenched fingers. 

**He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria. Or you should have seen him fight for animals in the school-campus. One of the idiots of our grade had hurt a puppy, Grover seemed ready to murder him.**

This made some of the heroes reevaluate the description. As did some of the nature spirits, for them this 'Grover' seemed like a satyr in disguise.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

This enraged some of the listeners, particularly Hestia and the sea-family.

**"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.**

This made Artemis and her maidens snarl -   
" A typical male! So eager to hurt a maiden."

The figure remained silent, but it was Apollo who questioned her -   
"And what does it say about the maiden, Sister? If she entertains herself by hitting one of her fellows with food, especially considering that her target is defenceless and his friend is unable to retaliate, what kind of a maiden she is?"

Artemis wanted to snap back, but it was Lachesis that interrupted this feud -   
"It is wrong to judge on the basis of gender! Anyone can hurt or harm anyone, regardless of gender or age. Artemis, as a protector of children, you should treat both genders equally! Anyway, I assure you that our hero is far from your definition of a 'Typical Male'. Besides, by the time we will be done, you all will understand your own heroes better. Now, let's continue. "

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch**.

**"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

The figure was back at silently shaking, but the onlookers could tell that he was merely annoyed, as there were no physical changes around him, yet.

**"You're already on probation," he reminded me."You know who'll get blamed if anything happens.** "

This made Hestia upset, while others nodded somberly. 

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

And the tension rose again.

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoing galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

Athena wondered about the details on those artifacts. 

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperon, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

This led some listeners to think of the hero's previous thoughts about his teacher.

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown**.

This made some wonder about the possibility of this teacher being a monster. The boy probably came of the age when monsters could sense him finally.

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

This relaxed some nerves, if she had been the monster she would have attacked by now.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said,"You're absolutely right".**

And the ominous thoughts were back.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

**Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said,"Will you shut up?"**

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

There were some snorts.

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

**"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."**

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

The fates cackled as the five elder Gods shivered. Their children felt nervous and worried. Zeus was reminded of his father and the bloody war. The mood became grim.

**"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because …"**

**"Well…" I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"**

No reactions. Elders were busy in their musings and youngers felt too scared to say a word, though the fates smothered a laugh. 

**"God?" Mr. Brunner asked**.

This finally broke the grim silence.

**"Titan," I corrected myself. "And … he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"**

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me**.

This made some Gods snarl.

"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."

This made them stare at the hero in amazement. It was one thing to shorten an incident, but to summarize a whole war in few sentences? It was really quite a talent.

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, "Please explain why Kronos ate his kids."**

**"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Perhaps not for her, but it is good to know one's history." Athena groused and others nodded.

**"Busted," Grover muttered.**

This caused some chuckles.

**"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."**

**"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

The listeners shared a look, none of them understood how it could be a happy note.

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

This made the Gods snort.

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

**I knew that was coming.**

This raised some brows, prophetic thoughts were gifts of Apollo and his blessed. Some wondered whether the boy was related to Apollo.

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

This made some heroes wonder.

**"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

**"About the Titans?"**

**"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

**"Oh."**

**"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

"For your safety, my hero." Hestia murmured to which the figure nodded. 

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted:"What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshiped.**

The heroes thought of their own teacher, while Athena asked about ADHD and Dyslexia.   
The fates told her that they are kind of learning disabilities and ADHD makes it hard for patients to concentrate.

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**But before I could leave, I stared at one of the portraits depicted on pottery and asked Mr. Brunner-  
"Excuse me, Sir! Is it true that Greeks accepted Homosexuality?"  
This question came out impulsively. The last thing I wanted was to make Mr. Brunner think of me as a freak.**

"What is homosexuality?" Asked Athena.  
"Why would your teacher think of you as a freak?" Asked Thetis.  
Again the figure remained silent, and so the fates answered on his behalf-

" Homosexuality means Arsenokoitai, or love between men. In future, people who partake in such relationships, or shun the intimacy with women in favor of intimacy with men, are seen as abnormal or unnatural. There are many people who react badly to such relationships. That's why, our hero worried about the possible reaction from his teacher.   
This made the people of the past nervous for their future progeny. Generally, gods didn't choose their lovers according to gender. Most were bisexual and so were their children. To call a child names on the basis on sexual orientation hardly seemed nice.

Clotho again began - 

**While I wondered how to solve the situation, Mr. Brunner began - " Yes Mr. Jackson. The Greeks accepted such relationships. Pedrastry, was the most common relationship. As the Greek Gods didn't refused lovers from either gender, so did their followers. Many armed groups were formed by male couples. Spartan women are known for their lesbian relationships. "  
During the whole lecture, he kept his eyes on me as I fiddled with my pen, trying to keep my face blank.  
After the lecture, I nodded and attempted to leave, only to hear him say -   
"It is wrong to shun a child for his natural desires. I hope for you to believe this."**

The Gods nodded along with heroes.

**A lump lodged itself in my throat. I managed a hasty nod and left. Before, walking outside, I hid myself in a alcove, trying to calm myself. I was stupid to think that he didn't knew. Of course, he knew! I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm the torrent of emotions that threatened to rise. I didn't need more attention and my reddened eyes will surely gain it.**

The figure shivered and shook, as if trying to calm himself. The winds rose and the water swirled.   
The gods felt troubled, some wanted to help but didn't know how.   
Hestia increased her hope-waves to ease the child.   
This at least snapped the boy out.

As the mood calmed a bit, Clotho continued- 

**The only thought that crossed my mind was Dave.**

This made the fates hesitate and the listeners frown. 

**I shook myself and joined others.**


	5. The Mystery Unfolds ( Part-3)

** Hi, this is the last part of the first chapter. I promise . **

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas**.

The description of sky made the Gods stare at their baffled King.

**We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

Now Poseidon joined Zeus in his bafflement as others stared at them.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing. Grover was sitting on the edge of the fountain, away from the others and I joined him. We usually kept away from others, as we thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

Hestia and other kind listeners felt saddened, no child should feel like this.

**My attempts to calm myself must have worked fine, for Grover didn't questioned me on any abnormalities in my bearing. He just shifted to make space for me. As I sat down, I nodded to him.**

**"Detention?" Grover asked.**

**"Nah," I shrugged and said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius.**

This raised more brows about the lack of self confidence. While Artemis and her maidens scoffed at the ' fake modesty'.

**Grover didn't say anything for a while and I felt at ease. But he stared at me with a pensive look. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

This caused many to burst out laughing. And some shook their heads.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

This made all the mothers nod, even Artemis and her maidens stared at the boy in new light. To honor one's mother was one of the signs of a good person. 

However, Athena felt horrified at the idea of being rejected by six schools in a row.

**Besides, after all the troubles she had gone through to make sure that I at least finish my year, it would be absolutely horrible of me to give up, so close to the end of year.**

The aura became somber as listeners realized the hidden ominous feelings. 

**Even though this school felt horrible, I have to prevail for her.**

The mothers nodded in approval. So, did the heroes. To try to succeed, even in adversity, was a good trait of a hero.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.**

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

This brought many mutterings and scoffs of scorn. Artemis looked disbelieving and Apollo looked grim.  
Hestia frowned as did Pan.

 **"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**.

The goddess of beauty and her children looked appalled as other looked disturbed.

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper."  
I remembered my mother's words - "Bullies are merely an obstacle. They just try to distract you from your goals. They are not worth your time. Be better than them. Don't pay them any notice."**

The mothers nod as did heroes. Hestia appreciated the wisdom of the mother.

**I almost got myself under control only for the dam to break loose under the onslaught of her words - " What now loser? Aren't you going to defend your freak friend? One must say Jackson. You could have done far better. But you always chose the loser freaks. Help the cripple. By the way, didn't you had another freak as a friend? Where is he? Oops! My bad! He died, didn't he? What a loser! He was gay, wasn't he. Didn't he committed suicide? A gay freak and a crippled freak. What a loser with loser friends?"**

" Gay ? Suicide?" Asked Apollo, furious at the cruel words.  
Atropos told him that gay meant homosexuality.

The women looked horrified, while the men looked outraged. To say such cruel words, about a dead child nonetheless, it was inappropriate in any condition. 

Clotho hesitated before reading - 

**I lost it. All I could think was how she could speak of Dave like this? He was far better than she could ever dream to be. People like her killed him, they killed him. My mind played her words over and over. Her taunts, along with the snickering of her horrible group, tempted my rage. Grover tried to calm me. I could feel him shouting my name, pulling me back. But it was futile.**

**I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

"A wave?" This narrowed many eyes and Poseidon and his brood stared at the figure with a critical gaze.

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"**

**"-the water-"**

**"-like it grabbed her-"**

This finally cemented the guesses, Poseidon straightened as did his children and others nodded in acknowledgement. The boy really looked like Poseidon. Only his eyes remained hidden, making it hard to finish their appraisal of his looks.

Poseidon stared at the silent figure, none of his children spoke a word as his mortal sons climbed down the stairs to stand closer to the figure. However, he remained silent as he took in the pale appearance of the child. Even at the first appearance of the child, he had felt some connection, but now he knew why.  
He stare at fates, who exchanged another look among themselves, but they did him an affirmative nod. He nodded back and made another seat appear near fates for his other sons to sit. As his sons settled by the side of the silent figure, Poseidon created a bubble around them to prevent any harm to be done to them.  
The last sentences of fates has enraged the figure, his emotions haywire, winds raged around him and the sky darkened. His fingers clenched, he shook as he tried to control his rage.

With a snap of his fingers, Poseidon dismissed the growing storm. The sudden silence broke the boy out of his trance and he turned his head towards Poseidon. Even with his eyes closed, Poseidon felt the figure's appraisal. He nodded and felt the figure stiffened, however, the boy nodded back. Poseidon studied the boy, taking in his paleness and the silent thrum of power that surrounded the boy. He would have made a comment, but he remembered the sight of the figure kneeling and pleading in front of fates. A glance from him kept others silent.

The gods exchanged a look. Poseidon was the most temperamental of Gods, and it seemed as if the boy inherited his temper.

Before the younger ones could made any comments, Clotho continued - 

**My figure still shook in the controlling clasp of Grover's arms. But now, I could feel my friend's tears on my shoulders. It calmed me, as I turned to him horrified at my thoughts of hurting her.**

**Dave would have refused to talk to me if I ever behaved like this. I took deep breaths and tried to analyze my surroundings. Inspite of my rage, I hadn't touched Nancy and yet there she was screaming how I pushed her.**

The listeners exchanged another look, to control water, with such precision, without any prior experience spoke of great powers. Poseidon felt worried while Zeus felt wariness. 

**As my temper cooled and I shook off Grover, I felt like doing a face-palm. I finally did something worth punishment.**

**Even though I didn't know what they were talking about, I knew that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester.**

Poseidon's nerves were on fire, so she was indeed the monster. And she finally found out about his son. Wonderful!  
His sons shared his worry and stared at their new brother with nervousness. 

**"Now, honey-" She began**

**"I know," I grumbled. "A month of in-school suspension."  
However,I didn't cared at this point. All of them had seen and heard Nancy, and if they still wanted to punish me, then so be it. It wasn't the first time, afterall, I thought.**

Poseidon's eyes narrowed and his children felt outraged. 

**But that apparently wasn't the right thing to say.**

And they went back on chewing their lips.

**"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

**"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."**

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**.

Hestia and Poseidon smiled at the sign of loyalty. 

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.**

**"But-"**

**"You-will-stay-here."**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

**"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying.**

But their Hope's dashed pretty soon.

**"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."**

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe " I'll-kill-you -later stare.**

Normally, Artemis would have snarled at such acts against a maiden, but the acts of this maiden made her upset as well.

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**.

The gods and heroes felt that to be suspicious. 

**I wasn't so sure.**

Heroes agreed.

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

Many felt nervous .

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

**But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

Poseidon and his children felt their nerves rising. 

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially with teachers like Mrs. Dodds.**

**Trust me, I have experience.**

This again arose ominous feelings. 

**Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it…**

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

"Away with what?" Poseidon asked the fates and others watched curious.   
"You will see" came the dry reply. 

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

The atmosphere got darker. 

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. Had I been a bit more naive, I would have thought that she wouldn't hurt me.**

The gods frowned.

**But I knew better.**

Poseidon's armrests were close to break. 

**I tried to entertain her, all the the while searching for escape routes.**

The strategists nodded at that.

**I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building**.

Gods stared at Zeus who again felt baffled. It was hardly the first time his brother had sired a hero, and from the looks of it the boy knew nothing of them.

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

Nor did the gods.

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade and they were going to make me read the book.**

The pranksters smiled as they read about a possible partner in crime.

 **Or even worse, they learned that it was me who had thrashed the rooms of bullying seniors. Or, they found out that it was me who tripped Alex Ripper who was hurting a puppy with a rod**.

The mood got somber again. The nature spirits felt appalled at the idea of hurting a poor animal. Some nodded at the idea of tripping the cruel boy.

**Or they learned...  
Before I could think of more possible offenses, she called me.**

**"Well, Jackson?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't…"**

**"Your time is up," she hissed.**

The heroes shuddered and the sea children exchanged looks. Poseidon gripped his trident.

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"A fury?" Rang out in the hall.

Hades felt shocked while others were stunned. 

Poseidon turned his gaze to one pale Hades.

"Brother," he commented, his voice the calm before storm, " if anything happened to one of mine, you and yours wouldn't like the result."

This comment was followed by the grim nods of his children, it made Hades gulp.

Clotho continued- 

**Then things got even stranger**.

This made the listeners more nervous. 

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

This eased some nerves, at least he had a weapon now.

But then the thought struck that he wasn't trained in sword play, and the mood darkened. 

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

"Naturally?!" This rang through every mind. Only those of Ares and blessed of Athena could wield an untested weapon naturally. Their children shared their domain of warfare and weaponry.

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!**

This evoked many gasps and shocked noises. 

Poseidon calmed, as did his children, but his glance at Hades made it clear that he wouldn't forget it.

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. I felt trapped in some hallucinations. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

"You wish" Poseidon muttered along with his children and other heroes. 

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was still sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. Though her sight brought the traces of anger back, I mostly felt tired.**

**When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

"Who now?" Some gods muttered. 

No answer came.

**I said, "Who?"**

Some felt relieved that they were at the same page as the hero.

**"Our teacher. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away. I was not in mood to continue our spat.**

Some nodded at that. Losing control was dangerous for an untrained hero.

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me. And he had a track record of that, too. Normally I would have ignored his weirdness, this time I wasn't in mood to do so.**

Again nods. It was necessary to know your adversary. 

**"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**But he refused to say anything**.

This confused many, the very moment the boy came close to use his powers, the Satyr should have taken him to Chiron.

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him in hopes to learn the truth.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."**

**I froze. He was completely serious. No twitch or pause to make me suspicious. Realizing that I was still holding the pen, I handed it to Mr. Brunner.**

**"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?"**

**"The other chaperon. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right.**

This again evoked many gasps.

Clotho finally shut the book with the announcement of the end of the first chapter. 

The room burst with questions. 

It was time to face the music.


	6. Chaos Ensued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gods meet the hero. Time to face the future or not

**So, time to face the music.**

The whole room erupted with questions. The weird atmosphere of the book, the ominous feelings that surrounded the child, the behavior of mortals regarding divinities and others; all wanted answers and they wanted them now.

The figure remained silent and the fates exchanged another look.

The heroes wanted to know more about the monster and his fight, the Gods wanted to know about suspicious happenings, the nature spirits wanted to ask about their suspicion regarding the satyr; the whole hall was filled with noises.

The sudden bang silenced the din. The shocked people turned towards the noise only to flinch at the look of pensive silence on the face of Poseidon. Most of the Gods knew that one shouldn't poke Poseidon at this point. His steely stare was a warning to all. As all the mutterings ended, he stood up from his throne and walked in front of fates.

Fates regarded him warily, though by the laws of Chaos no divine existence could ever harm the fates, however, no wise person could ever tease Poseidon. He was the most terrifying of Gods, even without trying. With his control over water and every form of fluid, he could be really creative. He was very possessive of those he called his own, and his children were always dear to him. Fates had dealt with him during circumstances related to his children, none wanted to repeat the experience. Even if he couldn't interfere, he was known to take revenge.

"Fates." He began solemnly, " I believe it is time you clear certain doubts for me. Afterall, it appears that one of my sons had been harmed. You won't deny me the name of his abuser, will you?"

"Poseidon, the God of Seas, it is not an easy thing to answer." Clotho replied.

" I am sure it isn't. Never had I seen any of mine children to wish for death so desperately. That very sight makes me wish to destroy all who dared to push my child to that edge. But for that, I require a name." Poseidon demanded.

"And what ails you brother! The seas are rebellious and unbending. None had managed to make us bow. What made you so hopeless that you see death as your only salvation?" Theseus addressed the silent figure as his brothers nodded along.

"Maybe the brat finally realized his own worth," Dionysus muttered "And wish to atone for his crimes of being a hero. Not a really bad thing if you ask me?"

His words earned him snarls from the mortal sons of Poseidon and frowns from others. Poseidon's grip on trident was the real warning for him. However, this statement finally brought a response from the statuesque figure -

"And how will you atone for yours then, Wine-God? Or, have you forgotten your own origin? Shouldn't you be thankful that the hero saved your promised bride from her prison? Instead you cursed him and aided in his downfall. I wonder what atonement did you made for your deeds? "

It stunned all onlookers. Never had there been a hero who dared to talk to a God like this. Even the children of gods watched their words when in front of them. The fates smirked, it seemed as if some part of their hero was coming back.

"How dare you? " Before Dionysus could have cursed him, the fates spoke-   
" Don't you dare, Dionysus! None of you are allowed to harm him. Besides, he didn't lied. You know that not a single word he spoke was false. However, some parts hasn't happened yet. Hero, watch your tone. All of you, settle down! We will try to answer some of your queries. However, most of them will be answered by the books. So, ask wisely."

The thunderous voice of fates instantly calmed the Gods, they stared at them warily. The figure once again settled and refused to open his eyes and mouth.

With a glance from their father, the children of sea settled again. They had stood up in case of a fight with Dionysus, but now the tone of fates had made Dionysus cower in his throne.

Poseidon remained standing in front of fates, they sighed and told him -   
"Yes, we understand your concern. However, there are many factors that led to this condition of your child. We ask you to remain patient and listen and try to reach out to him. But don't be pushy. It will backfire. Though we suggest remaining close, soon he might need aid."

With that ominous answer, Poseidon made a new throne by the side of the figure and all his children surrounded him as he took a mortal form.

A look from fates made all other gods took a human form as they resettled by the side of their children and guests.

Lachesis took the book and said - " I will read the second chapter then, the title is **Chapter 2: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death...**

This made the fates snort and the listeners pale. Poseidon regarded the fates warily.

Lachesis spoke-

" **I was used to the occasional odd experience, specially considering the people I met in my old schools, but they were usually over quickly. This 24/7 hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing a trick on me**.

The heroes nodded, many times they had felt the same confusion while on a quest or when a god decided to test them.

 **The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas**.

Gods startled. The rage of fates had made them lose sight of happenings. The way truth was denied to the child was rather suspicious.   
Athena implored- " My ladies! Would you please explain what has happened?"

The fates snorted at the tone, but answered-   
" It is the work of the mist. It is a kind of shield that separates the mortal world and the divine. With Gods gone into hiding, mist stops the mortal from seeing and interfering with divine situations. It also provides the demigods and their companions with a cover to protect themselves with. When our hero killed the fury, one of his minders strengthened the cover of mist to make the mortals forget about her. Though they wanted that our hero forgot her as well, sadly by that point, it was far beyond their control. The threads had collided, the loom of fates finally began to take charge."

 **Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psych** o. **And trust me, it's not a good feeling. I have experience with being seen as mentally sick, its horrible.**

Hestia frowned and Poseidon grimaced.   
Dionysus smiled as he thought to make the feeling real for the disrespectful demigod. A glare from Atropos, ended all such fantasies.

"Sorry about that" Clotho muttered to which the figure shrugged.

**It got so I almost believed them, sheep mentality is a thing ok, that Mrs. Dodds had never existed.**

**Almost.**

  
"Ah! But the fun just began" Clotho snorted, only to gain unimpressed looks from her sisters.

"I am guessing that is due to that friend of yours?" Peleus mused to which the fates nodded.

**But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.**

**"** His name is Grover right?" Pan asked as if confirming.

"Yes, Lord Pan" To everyone's surprise, the hero answered, " Grover Underwood."

The moment the last syllable ended, there was an explosion of light. As everyone hurriedly shielded their eyes, some thought that they heard the fates mutter - " Uh-oh."

When the light lessened the onlookers were treated to a weird sight. There was a young Satyr, sitting on the floor, looking stunned as he stared at his surroundings. The younger ones gasped and pointed and the elder Gods stared at fates, hoping for an answer. None paid attention to the stiffened figure, sitting by the side of fates, except his father and half-siblings. Before anyone could say a word, the Satyr stared at the silent figure and gasped-

"Percy!!!"  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be patient.


	7. The Unexpected

**So, time for twists and turns.**

The exclamation of the hero's name made the hero flinch. The gods watched with growing alarm as the water of the lake started to rise, slowly taking shape of a shield. Poseidon's eyes narrowed, the strange satyr had made his child nervous, he could feel the anxiety rolling off his child as he tried to hide himself from the curious gaze of the onlookers and hopeful and guilty gaze of the Satyr. He wanted to touch his child, to offer him his comfort, but the rapidly paling face of the fates made him hold himself back.

"Percy!"

It seemed that the newcomer failed to notice the effects his calls had on the hero. He called again and stood up, staring at the stiff figure. He made quite a comic figure - his weird clothes, his gaping mouth, his wide eyes, the look of complete shock on his face as he pinched himself again and again, as if ascertain his view. Some young ones giggled at this, but most remained solemn, silently observing the scene in front of them. The mysterious satyr, the stiffened figure, the rising lake, the hesitation and guilt in the bearing of fates; all suggested many things, none of them good.

All were intrigued, all were hesitant, all busy in silent contemplations as they watched the Satyr ignore his audience, in favor of walking towards the statuesque figure as if entranced. Barely a foot away from the figure the Satyr stopped and stood still. Poseidon and his children stared at the sight to analyze whether they needed to interfere. And if their clenched fingers were any solid signs, they were trying hard to not react, so as to not startle the already rock-still figure of their kin.

"Percy?" The Satyr called with a desperate note in his voice. His shaking hands rose towards the silent boy. The whole hall held their breaths as if a mere sound will break the moment. The figure refused to react to the open longing and guilt on the face of the Satyr. Before the shaky fingers touched him, the rising water surrounded him, encasing him in a dome, shielding him from the sight of others. While this stunned the hall, it was the Satyr's wail of sheer devastation that made them jump out of their seats.

"No, no ,no ..." He kept yelling and banging on the almost solid dome," please listen, Percy! I am so sorry. So sorry. Just let me explain. Please, I beg you."

Such words did nothing to bring down the dome, if anything, the dome felt even more secured to the watching people.

It was Zeus who finally felt fed up with the wails and pleas, and banged his goblet against the armrest -

"Do cease your wailing! Insolent ! Who are you? How dare you to disturb this assembly? Answer us!"

These comments, accompanied with a strike of lightning that lit up the hall, made the wails cease. Now, the Satyr turned and finally acknowledged his audience. His eyes widened again as he stared at Pan open-mouthed.

Ultimately the fates shook themselves out of their flunk, and brought the satyr near to explain everything to him. He looked amazed and horrified, the gods noticed as the Satyr tried to refuse looking at them. After sending the Satyr away with a look, the fates turned and addressed the Gods -  
"Our apologies Gods and guests! It seemed we forgot certain part of our deals with greater beings. Hero, it seems that it is them who brought one of your companions back by your side. Do come out of the dome. You are worrying your kin. "

Indeed , Poseidon looked ready to smite the miserable Satyr who made his child hide himself. Even his children looked murderous. The Satyr took this all in and gulped.

He finally calmed his sobs and bowed -

" My lords and my ladies! My apologies for this rude interruption. I am Grover Underwood. Satyr and protector of Demigods. "

At this everyone felt astonished. If he was really Grover, then he was one of the friends of the hero. Why then did the hero reacted in this manner?

However, it was Poseidon and his children who remembered how their kin was shunned by his allies and friends. Poseidon questioned the Satyr-

"Were you one of those who shunned my child?"

At this the Satyr gulped, cementing the doubts of the sea god. The mood darkened as the sea ruler and his brood scrutinize the bowed figure. Before they could say a word however, the satyr babbled -

" But I regret it my lord! I am willing to face any punishment and do any atonement to reduce my guilt. I have been searching for Percy for quite a while to say the same. Please my lord! Please Percy! Give me a chance to make amends. You don't have to forgive me, just listen to what I have to say."

He would have probably kept babbling, but Fates stopped him with a glare-

" Do be quiet Satyr! We are tired of fixing your messes. And yes gods , he is the old friend mentioned in the chapter. And yes Poseidon, he is also a part of the reason behind your child's behavior. Please calm down all. No one can hurt him or anyone from future. It will cause further damages to timelines and we would like to prevent that. Settle down Satyr! We will discuss about you later."

With this the fates managed to at least calm everyone. The nature spirits called to their kin and Grover settled by them.

Now, the fates turned to the dome -

" We apologize hero! We, it seems, failed to realize the whole extent of the deal. We believe that they have allowed us to fulfill our plans, meanwhile also fulfilling theirs. Sadly we can't stop now. It will ruin every single of our efforts. And don't forget, by our word if you faced every single of your ordeals, we will consider to ask Ananke for your thread and will grant your other request. So, come out. It is rude to make   
Ladies wait. "

The last lines made the listener snicker, though it managed to do the trick. The dome slithered down, revealing the hero hiding inside.

Though he addressed the fates this time -  
" I have listened to your command fates, just promise me two things- first, keep any of these newcomers like that Satyr away from me and secondly, you will not force me to communicate with anyone. Only then will I remain outside the dome."

"But Percy.." Grover began only to be silenced by the glare the fates threw him.

Though many wanted to comment, and some wanted to protest, especially Poseidon and his kin, the fates nodded acquiescing the wishes of the hero.

Lachesis again opened the chapter and started reading, silencing everyone -

**Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.**

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days as the schoolwork and bullies kept me busy, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat**.

The whole comment made Poseidon and Hestia grimace and the heroes groan. The grim look on Grover's face made his kin worry.

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood.**

**"** It seems that he is attuned to sea and sky". Athena observed making the Gods frown.

**One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room.**

Poseidon felt baffled and worried. If his son was right then something must have enraged him.

 **A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that yea** r.

The grim looks of Gods made the heroes worry. The combined rage of sea and sky was hardly something to wish for. They pitied the future heroes for going through such upheavals.

 **I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every clas** s.

"So, he is attuned to his father's mood " Athena confirmed along with the nodes from Apollo and nature spirits.  
Poseidon groaned, this was hardly a good situation. Now his child will share his troubles. He never liked involving his children in their debates.

 **Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded goo** d.

Although it made many laugh, the undertone of dangerous times was not lost on anyone. Though Poseidon grimaced at the idea of an instructor scolding his child.

**That was the final straw, I guess.** **The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.**

**Fine, I told myself. It wasn't like that I wanted to be here. One year was enough for me to hate this place.**

Grover grimaced and the adults shared a look. The rising water made the hero's mood clear. To incite such strong feelings, there must be something very wrong with that place.

**Just fine.**

**I was homesick.**

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.**

  
"Poker Parties?" Dionysus muttered.

"Obnoxious? " Poseidon demanded.

Clotho answered both -

"Poker is a modern card-game that includes gambling. Many do a gathering of friends to play poker, that is called Poker party. And about the hero's stepfather, you will see."

Poseidon was hardly insured with that weird tone, but Lachesis continued.

**And yet... There were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange.**

The past watched worried as Grover sniffled, while the fates grimaced.

 **I worried how he'd survive next year without m** e.

This made Grover sob.

**I'd miss Latin class, too, with Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. Even though his recent acts made be suspicious, he was really the best teacher, I've ever had.**

While some smiled at that, Hestia frowned at the hidden, backhanded statement regarding hero's past instructors.

 **As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him, something made me think so**.

" Good instincts" the Gods and heroes commended.

 **The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.**  
Athena and Theseus looked horrified.

 **Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one- eighties as if they were riding skateboards**.

" I am guessing that this is a symptom of dyslexia. " Apollo commented to which fates and Grover nodded.

 **There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon**.

"Pretty sure you know now" Grover commented and others gasped.

Before anyone could ask, Lachesis continued-

 **or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it**.

"Yet now you excel in them, Praetor" Atropos teased, and the hero grimaced.

 **I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt**.

"Oh, I know how that feels!" Bellerophone said much to the confusion of his brothers. He told them about a bet he made with his mortal half-brother.

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**

Heroes nodded, they could connect to that. All remembered their old mentor who expected the best from them.

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F, I was going to score on his exam** **.**

  
Hestia and other goddesses nodded in approval, even the Gods commended such behavior.

 **I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried**.

Again there were nods all around.

 **Though now as** **I** **think of it, perhaps it wouldn't have mattered either way. It was the beginning of a new life. Unknown to me, my fate had been written, and that night was the moment** **I** **began finally unveiling the secrets that surrounded me**.

At the ominous note, Lachesis stopped for a pause and turned the page.

** Let's ** ** the secrets begin **


	8. A Meeting with Self

**So, the hero meets his** **executors**. Or not.

 **The weather was as worse as possible, Storm was rattling the windows of dorm. The sudden strokes of lightning illuminated the darkened corridors**.

"Is it a ghost story?" Poseidon demanded and fates cackled-  
" Now Poseidon, we must say we never met any of your children this descriptive. No, it is the hero's observation of his surroundings and the books portrays the mindset of your child during those moments. So, whatever we read and you listen is the boy's own thoughts. "

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps away from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office.**

**Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "...worried about Percy, sir."**

**I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper** **,**

The fates snorted and Grover looked surprised- " You said you only listened few things."

  
The fates shrugged as the figure remained silent.

**But I dare you to try not listening when you hear your friend talking about you to an adult.**

The young ones nodded to the amusement of adults and exasperation of their mothers.

 **I inched close** r.

All listeners held their breaths.

"... **alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the** _ **school**_ **! Now that we know for sure, and** _ **they**_ **know too-"**

" **We would only make matters worse by rushing him." Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more** **."**

The fates snorted at that and Grover cracked a smile. 

" **But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline-"**

" **Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."**

" **Sir, he** _ **saw**_ **her."**

" **His imagination." Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."**

"So, this Mr. Brunner secured the mist, instead of telling the truth to hero." Hecate asked and the fates nodded.

"But why? He should have told the truth. " Athena questioned and Poseidon frowned. 

" There were certain circumstances that made it a very bad time for our hero's parentage to be revealed." Fates intoned, it made the Gods wary.

"Why?" Thetis asked. 

"You will know soon." The fates assured her.

**"Sir, I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was chocked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."**

  
"Why, what happened?" Pan asked Grover. Even Poseidon perked up at this and looked at fates.

None answered them.

**"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"**

  
"Why, why are they so worried?" Theseus muttered.

Fates shared another look and asked them to be patient as the books will explain.

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

"I can't blame you, that might have shocked you. But you must keep in mind that while eavesdropping, one should not give up their position." Hermes commented.

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

  
"Good now remain still. " Hermes advised, to the amusement of children and exasperation of their guardians.

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow**.

"A bow?" Apollo mused. Heroes, especially Heracles and Jason, exchanged looks.

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**

More exchanged glances.

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."**

"Why, what happened on Solstice?" Zeus asked as fates shrugged. He turned to Grover who whimpered at the menacing gaze.

Atropos chided him to listen patiently.

**Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."**

**"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."**

**"Don't remind me."**

**The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.**

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.** **It was** **hard** **to think anything. I felt scared and sick.**

**Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night** **.**

**"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"**

**I didn't answer.**

**"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"**

"I could sense your emotions, that was quite a volatile mix of anger and sadness. " Grover confessed. 

"Well, he is going through a traumatic experience. He fought a battle with no training, his fellows are horrible and his friends hide something important. I would be worried if he laughed or joked." Apollo commented and Hygieia, the goddess of health nodded.

This caused Grover to wince. As did Poseidon and his children.

**"Just... tired."** **I just didn't knew** **what** **to say.**

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

“Don’t we all.” Perseus said to Heracles who nodded, Oddessyus crossed his arms over his chest and nodded as well .

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.**

**It wasn't the first time facts were hidden from me, many of the previous classmates and teachers hid things to cause me trouble. However, this was the first time, I thought that** **I** **could have a normal ending**.

Grover winced again.

**What is going to happen, will happen,** **I** **told myself. It is useless to think right now, especially as** **I** **don't know the whole situation. I cheered myself with this words and went to sleep. Though it was quite hard and** **I** **woke up half rested.**

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.**

**"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best** **.**

"Ouch" muttered Heracles and Theseus.

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Why couldn't he told me after the whole class left the room? Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips**.

  
A

thena frowned as did Hestia, the others grimaced.

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir."**

**"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."**

**My eyes stung.**

Poseidon grimaced and Harmonia held back a flinch. Hermes looked horrified.  
As did Grover. 

**Here was my most respected teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

Grover flinched as did the heroes. It was the most cruel fact to be told on face.

**"Right," I said, trembling.**

  
Poseidon face-palmed and Triton felt distressed.

**"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—"**

**"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me** **.**

Hestia frowned and heroes shook their heads. Demeter and Hades looked grim as did Hephaestus. To be told that you don't fit in, was not a nice experience.

**Percy—"**

**But I was already gone.**

  
Tyche shook her head and Zagerus frowned. The teacher could have chosen a better place.

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.**

"Nobodies, perhaps your father is one." Zeus scoffed. Poseidon smirked as did Hades.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.**

  
"I didn't knew you worked?" Grover look surprised.

"Is it wrong ?" A Nymph asked.

" No but in future generally children about the age of 11-12 don't work. It is the responsibility of the parents to provide for them" Grover answered. 

This caused fates to hesitate and Gods to frown as they observed the figure stiffened again. Poseidon scowled at this.

**"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."**

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

" How rude?" Nemesis sneered and Phobos scowled.

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, though he did behaved weirdly for quite a while and my last memory of eavesdropping on him didn't brought me any comfort,** **I** **preferred to separate amicably**

Grover hid a wince as did the fates. Tyche wondered about such a chance.

**but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.**

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound** **.**

Pan scowled at the idea of one of his Satyrs feeling threatened. Grover looked miserable. 

  
**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.**

**I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

"Now, you shouldn't give such a shock to the Satyr" Hygeia chided.

"Nearly have me a heart attack" Grover mumbled.

  
**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"**

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

  
" No, no don't confess" Hermes admonished to the disapproval of all mothers.

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"**

**"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?**

Heroes laughed at that and hunters scoffed.

**He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."**

**"Grover—"**

  
Hermes winced at the stupid lie as did Oddessyus.

**"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."**

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."**

Satyrs winced as others laughed. Satyr were bad at lying, everyone knew. 

**His ears turned pink.**

**From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.**

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:**

**Grover Underwood**

**Keeper**

**Half-Blood Hill**

**Long Island, New York**

**(800) 009-0009**

**"What's Half—"**

**"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."**

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.** **I generally try to not be judgmental** **but** **I** **have had bad experiences with rich people.**

Poseidon and his children looked grim.  
Grover winced as he realized his mistake and the misunderstandings it caused to Percy.

  
**"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."**

**He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."**

**"Why would I need you?"**

  
Pan scowled at that and Hestia frowned. 

**It came out harsher than I meant it to. Look,** **I** **didn't minded the usual weirdness of Grover but the last few weeks with him had been hectic. That conversation of Grover with Mr. Brunner had made me wary of him. And here** **I** **heard that he had hidden his rich background from me. Well,** **I** **just didn't knew how to react**.

Now, the audience winced. To hear the reasons like that, the hero had every right to be wary and distrustful. 

  
**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.**

  
"It seems like the hero is doing all the protecting " Soteria, the goddess of protection murmured, and her counterpart Soter nodded.

Grover looked downright confused. He never knew about Percy's losing sleep over him. This did nothing to ease his guilt. 

**"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"**

"There are still many things unknown to you hero" Hestia spoke and fates nodded along with nature spirits. 

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**

  
The Gods exchanged looked, that sounded ominous. 

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

**We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**

The fates cackled to the confusion of all listeners except Grover and the silent figure.

**The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen**.

Grover cringed as did Athena.

Poseidon paled as he understood the meaning.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

“Three old ladies. Yarn…” Hestia murmured, her face going pale.

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—"**

**"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"**

“Oh, gods.” Orion whispered, gently shaking his head. His siblings were also horrified as they stared at the silent figure. 

**"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"**

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."**

"Agreed" Thetis muttered, her grip tightened over Achilles.

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**

**"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."**

"Listen to the Satyr" Poseidon pleaded.

Others looked pale.

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."**

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

None asked anything about weird things. 

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**  


  
**The passengers cheered.**  
  
**"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"**  
  
“How lucky.” Triton snarled  
  
**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**  
  
**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**  
  
**"Grover?"**  
  
**"Yeah?"**  
  
**"What are you not telling me?"**  
  
“Everything.”Many people said at the same time.  
  
**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"**  
  
**"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"**  
  
**His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."**  
  
Aphrodite shook her head. “If this happens in the first few chapters, then what the is going to happen later on?”  
  
**"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."**  
  
**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.**  


"Observant" Oddessyus murmured. 

  
**He said, "You saw her snip the cord."**  
  
**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**  
  
“Is he going to die?” Patroclus asks.  
  
Thetis gave him the evil eye. “Not yet.”  
  
**"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."**  
  
**"What last time?"**  
  
**"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."**  
  
“That’s one of the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Hebe, the goddess of youth murmured, her hands going to her aching temples.  
  
**"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"**  
  
**"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."**  
  
**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**  
  
**"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.**  
  
**No answer.**  
  
**"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"**  
  
**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.**

Poseidon looked ready to drown something. Others looked equally grim.

  
  



	9. Dark Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will see changes.

**So,** **it's time** **to step up the game**.

The hall was as silent as a graveyard, none dared to make a sound as the chapter ended. The fact that the fates themselves had met the boy and let him see the cutting of thread, spoke volumes about the gravity of matter. The Satyrs and Nymphs whimpered at the sound of storm that surrounded the palace of Gods. The other Gods looked uncomfortable and the heroes looked ready to bolt.

The thunderous look on the face of Poseidon made everyone afraid. Even Zeus and Hades looked wary of their brother's temper. Hestia tried to step up to calm her brother but Hephaestus held her back.

The storm raged and groaned, the trees on the verge of being uprooted, the dryads looked at Pan, begging him for aid, but even he refused to say a word.

Finally it was the figure himself that rose and confronted the storm. A glance from him had the storm weakening, though it hadn't ended yet. The Gods exchanged more wary looks, never had there been a hero, even if a son of elder three Gods, who possessed the strength to weaken the storm of Poseidon. However the figure didn't paid any attention to the glances this act had earned him. His eyes still closed, he turned towards fates. Lachesis nodded to him and turned to Poseidon-

"My lord. Please be merciful. Calm your rage. Your rage is frightening to the young ones attending this great assembly. Please be calm. We assure you that your questions will be answered in time."

Poseidon scoffed but nodded, though his eyes seemed to follow the figure standing by the side of Atropos. With a snap of his fingers the storm ended. And Atropos began the third chapter -

**Chapter 4: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants**

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal**.

"

  
What?" Roared Poseidon, " You're already in danger! Even your instincts warned you and you still ran away even after giving your word."

The figure flinched a bit and the fates hid a chuckle.

Hestia frowned as did other adults.

Grover let out a hysterical snort.

  
**I know, I know. It was rude.**

"At least you acknowledged that" Hecate commented.

**But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to the sixth grade**?"

"Well that's... " Orion started only to quite down at the glare Theasus threw him.

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown**.

  
"Taxi? " Hephaestus murmured

"A vehicle" Grover answered.

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.**

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

"She is really nice" Grover gushed.

Poseidon smiled at the idea of learning about one of his future lovers. 

However none saw the way that the figure flinched. 

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck**. 

Tyche frowned at the comment as did Poseidon and Thetis.

**Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her**.

Hestia felt sorry for the young lady, as did Artemis.

She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program.

"College? Novelist?" Athena asked.

"College is a place of education. People attend College after finishing their schooling. Novelist is a writer that writes stories." Clotho answered her. 

" And this woman wanted to become one?" Artemis asked shocked 

" Yes she did. Actually she was working on her first book, a few months ago " Grover informed her. 

The ladies seemed pleased and the men looked stunned. 

**Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma**

"A diploma?" Theasus asked.

" It is a certificate/written proof awarded by an educational establishment to show that someone has successfully completed a course of study" Lachesis told him. " You need that to show your level of education. "

"Oh" Many muttered saddened for the girl. 

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.**

Many smiled at that, Poseidon grinned. 

**Or, at least she thought so.**

  
The mood darkened, Poseidon looked shocked.

 **But considering what that encounter with my father led her to suffer, well , pardon me for my words**.

The mood got somber. Grover looked shocked, while others looked grim.

The Gods looked worried, Hestia and Artemis even more wary.

**See, they weren't married. And if you also live in the modern era, you know how society feels about unmarried women with child. I will not bore you with the stories of taunts we faced, but well..**

Hera looked shocked at that, many exchanged looks.

Poseidon's grip around his armrests tightened.

 **She, although managed to hide about his real identity, did told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. And about his absence, she told me that one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back**.

"A smart woman" Athena murmured and many nodded.

 **Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea**.

"A truth and a lie " Hermes praised " "Truly a wise woman."

Poseidon looked a bit perked up.

 **Anyways, it wasn't a easy task to raise a child alone, specially when you consider her lack of assets and proper education**.

Many grimaced at that, especially the heroes.

 **She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own**.

"A strong woman " Hestia praised as did other mothers.

**She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid, especially with all the troubles that followed me.**

Heroes grimaced again as did their sires.

 **Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym short** s.

Many looked alarmed at the description. Even though they couldn't understand the whole meaning, they got the gist, it didn't sounded nice.

There was a silent tremor going through the lake. Poseidon noticed, as did Apollo, neither looked happy with that.

 **Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good exampl** e.

"Why , what did he do?" Hebe asked only to see the figure tense.

The fates shook their heads at the young goddess. This did nothing to relieve Poseidon.

 **I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpe** t.

All looked appalled, especially the Goddesses and Nature spirits. Grover did had some idea about Percy's past life, but even he looked shocked.

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."**

**"Where's my mom?"**

**"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"**

  
"Cash?" Rhode enquired.

"Money" Atropos answered.

"But that... that's not right!" Grover babbled almost hysterically.

"I don't understand. What has happened?" Hades asked.

" The stepfather asked his 11years old stepson for money to gamble." Bellerophone gritted out.

All went silent. None dared to look in the direction of Poseidon and his brood.

Atropos continued-

  
**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something** **. He looked like an ....**  
**Well,** **I** **don't know a good word to describe him. Perhaps,** **I** **should be glad that he was at least sober or that he had company. It at least saved me from him usual drunken welcome.**

With every other word the tension rose.

The ending lines made everyone imagine the worst, none liked to comment. 

**Gabe loved to laze around the house and to boss us**. **He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights ou** t.

"What?" Grover exploded.

"What now?" Poseidon growled. 

"That ...that it ... he" Grover couldn't bring himself to accept the truth. 

Clotho sighed and said - " it means that if the hero refused to give money, he will be beaten brutally."

"What?" Now everyone roared. To hurt a child was monstrous, to hurt a child of God...it was unthinkable. 

"Let us talk later, there are some parts I believe that are unsuitable for children, please take them out" Lachesis advised that led to even more stress. Poseidon looked ready to drown an island.

  
It was Apollo who calmed everyone. He asked the Nymphs to take children away and settled down the Gods. However, Achilles and Patroclus refused to leave and fates allowed them to remain on the condition to remain quite.

Finally as everyone settled, the fates began -  
" The times have changed. There are many things you must understand. The unmarried women are usually seen as unclean or unchaste in the modern times. Though it differs for cultures, and things are changing steadily, hero's mother was 18 and unmarried when she got pregnant, this makes her bad in the eyes of conservatives. Especially considering that she couldn't provide a name or identity for the father of the child. This further increases the stigma. Many religious Faiths sees illegitimate children as wrong.

Then there is the case of the stepfather, hitting a child is not good or normal, however, there were some reasons behind this marriage. You will learn about them in time. Right now, calm down and let's continue. "

The statement of fates aroused even more worries, however everyone settled down to wait and listen.

**"I don't have any cash," I told him.** **I knew** **I** **was treading on thin ice, but the presence of others made me strong enough to refuse. I wanted to have nothing to do with him. But sadly we can't get whatever we want.**

There was sounds of silent threats.

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else**.

" Oh! " Grover mumbled softly. 

"What ?" A Nymph asked 

"His smell can hide the hero from monsters " Clotho said.  
This made the mood even more worse.

Apollo and Hygeia kept their eyes on the silent tremors that went through the silent figure. None were assured about his mental health. 

Poseidon and Theasus also kept eyes on their kin. Both felt horrified and grim.

**"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. “Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

  
Silent tremors rippled at the lake, there were many clenched fists and suppressed snarls.

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."**

**"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.**

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony**.

All looked appalled. Poseidon looked ready to break something. 

  
**"Fine," I said. I knew better than to push more. The result won't be nice for my health**. 

Orion snarled as a caged animal, Rhode and Herophile kept Poseidon restrained. 

**I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."**

**"** You can be sure of that" Tyche and Nemesis swore and Nike agreed. 

**"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"**

  
"Oh, I will show him how to act snooty" Hermes muttered. 

  
"Quite" Apollo agreed as he saw the fates beckon him to sit by their side. Though he settled by them without any question, he knew that dark moments were ahead, especially in the manner Atropos hesitated to continue.

This caused many exchanged glances. Poseidon felt his heart clench.

 **Time for the madness to begin**.


	10. Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will see changes.

**Warning- There are some graphic descriptions of violence, traumatic incidents and blood. Please read at your risk. Though** **I** **will point out the beginning and end of scene, so you can skip it, if you wish.**

**So, let's continue.**

The rooms was buzzing with nervousness, the changed position of Apollo wasn't hidden from anyone. This made everyone worried.

 **I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale bee** r.

The threats were rising.

**"Honestly Gabe you should lay off the kid, a bit. I mean, he is just a child"** **I** **could hear the chiding tone of Eddie through the door.**

**" Lay off the kid" Gabe said in a mocking taunt "Don't tell me that** **you** **feel sorry or something for that little bastard? And he is really a bastard, you know? Wonder which moron** **managed** **to get that mother of his pregnant? She never gave me a name or anything. For all we know he could be born of rape**."

This made many flinch. To be born of a rape was nothing new in the Olympian family, but to be told on face was..

Poseidon looked outraged, many of his children were born, mostly with his courtship of their mothers. Even if any of his child was born of rape, they were still his. And no one was allowed to say anything about it.

**My fingers clenched,** **I** **remembered the words my mother had told me about my father. How he was gentle and kind and how he was nice to her.**   
**I tried to calm myself down because punching Gabe will do nothing to stop it.**

**And trust me, the scars on my back and thighs are proof of that.**

Again the hall exploded, everyone looked outraged except a few.

Hestia looked downright murderous as did her siblings, to harm a child was an offense. Hephaestus looked gloomy and Ares looked mad. Artemis and Apollo started muttering threats, Athena started calculating how to plan retribution, Hermes looked at his cadecus and willed to calm himself before he turned it into a dagger. Dionysus looked indifferent and Aphrodite looked livid.

The minor Gods looked no better than the Olympians, all loved their children and to listen that one of them was harmed was unacceptable to them.

The cold rage that surrounded the sea-entourage made the air seem cold. All sat stunned and furious. Poseidon's armrests finally broke as he rose to raze the area around him.

The nature spirits looked grim and Grover looked ready to keel over.

The fates continued, rushing ahead, to pass the oncoming scene-

** Violence Scenes Ahead **

**I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**

All felt a bit worried. Poseidon looked ready to destroy the whole throne because of his nerves. 

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

This hardly seemed promising. 

  
**His presence made me feel trapped in my own house. I wanted to run away, but** **I** **couldn't live my mother alone with him. I had lost count of the times he had slammed me against the wall or knocked me against the table. Once** **I** **tried to sneak out to not give him my earnings,** **I** **was saving them to buy Mom a present, only to be tripped by him from the stairs. I knocked my head against the wall and had a concussion and a** **bad-cut** **on my head, as well as my ribs were badly bruised and my elbow broken.**

The moment the fates finished the sentence, the Nymphs screamed. The silent hero was breaking heavily and holding his sides with one arm, his other arm limped uselessly by his side. Apollo rushed to him, muttering prayers and hands glowing. The figure shook silently as if refusing the aid, but the muttered word of fates made him quite. As Apollo managed to lift the child's face upward, he barely held back a growl. The point about the left eye was badly cut, blood was oozing out of it without any signs of stopping, the left cheek looked swollen and red, the whole face drenched with blood. The shaky movements of the child made Apollo remember the concussion.

As Apollo tried to heal everything, his actions gathered him an audience. All horrified with the wounded face. Poseidon held back a snarl as he loomed over Apollo watching him heal his son.

"Do step away. Let Apollo work. There are other injuries as well that the boy will gain in comingm lines. Please step away" Lachesis advised gently.

All resettled with the nudge of fates. An upset Hestia sat by her brother Poseidon to keep him calm. The other mortal heroes sat by the mortal sons of sea to lend them strength.

Finally Apollo ended cleaning the wound and settled down as well, but by the side of figure to help him. What worried Apollo and Hygeia was the lack of sound. The boy had made no sound during the healing or even when he acquired those wounds. It was the gasp of Nymphs at the sight of his leaning head that attracted their attention. Apollo decided to talk to Poseidon later.

 **One of the neighbors rushed me to hospital as Gabe panicked and closed his door. Once, Gabe had threw me against the table for talking back to him. I had crashed against Glass and split my cheeks**.

Again Apollo rushed to close wounds. The silent threats showed no signs of stopping any soon.

Grover looked ready to hurl.  
As did many spirits and young children.

 **But** **I** **guess** **that these** **were** **minor mishaps. The worst Gabe had done was lashing out and whipping me with his belt. And, he loved that. He believed that whipping will keep me disciplined. Once he whipped me so bloody that the whole floor was soaked in my blood. And trust me,** **I** **was glad that it was floor, because then he made me** **clean** **the blood and getting blood out of carpet is really hard**.

** Violence ends **

The fates rushed to finish as the Gods jumped off their thrones at the sight of the lying figure, his blood gushing out from multiple lacerations, wounds so deep that the whole place looked soaked with blood.

Many gods and goddesses looked ready to pass out. Artemis rushed to her brother to aid him in healing, the minor healing Gods rushed as well. Aphrodite passed out as did Harmonia, Eros looked ready to follow their lead. Phobos and Deimos looked grim as did Ares. Hestia kept sobbing and Demeter tried to console her. Poseidon looked devastated and his children looked murderous. Thetis looked shaken as did Peleus as they tried to cover the eyes of Achilles who stared at the figure with a morbid fascination. Perseus and Jason held Orion back, and Heracles restrained Theasus.

Apollo Kept working to close the wounds, but the extreme loss of blood made it hard. Previously they wanted to take him to sea, but none knew how the sea will behave at the sight of one of its children harmed. Besides saltwater is hardly ideal for such deep wounds. 

Finally as the bleeding lessened, they took him to the lake so that he could rejuvenate. It was Poseidon who offered to take him and as Poseidon touched the unconscious figure, the closed eyes snapped open. Poseidon held back a flinch as red, crimson eyes with a hint of sea-green in their centre stared at him. The whole council gaped at the sight of those eyes that finally opened and took in their surroundings. Only after a brief moment of time the eyes closed again and the figure took a long breath as he detached himself from his helpers. With a shake of his hands, he denied their aid and jumped in lake. After a moment the ripples calmed as the boy settled at the bottom of the lake.

None could say a word for a while. None knew what to say.

With a uncomfortable stretch of silence everyone regarded each other with wary eyes.

None liked the future they were told of. To harm a child this callously was hardly a good thing. All looked shaken and Apollo stared at his blood - stained hands. He couldn't believe how badly had he failed in his duties. Young boys were his responsibility as his sister focused only on girls. To see such a broken bloodied body, abused by his supposed caregiver, was unacceptable to him.

Finally the fates asked everyone to take a break and to continue after some time.

Many stepped out of the room. Many felt queasy and rushed to washroom, many felt stunned and horrified and went to their friends and family to assure themselves of their presence, many felt contemplative and went to reflect. Hestia left with Demeter and Hades who took her away to calm her, Ares took his children and Aphrodite away and Hephaestus went to his workroom.

Zeus and Hera left to discuss about future. The mortal heroes left with their charges and companions , only the mortal children of sea refused to leave as did their immortal siblings and their father. Poseidon brought all his children closer and stared at their faces. Never before had he heard of one of his children so abused. He also prided himself on being a good parent, to be shown otherwise was a rather bitter pill to swallow. He stared at the lake wishing for his son to come out, to know more of his sufferings, to ease him, to offer apologies and comfort. But he could do nothing of that, not now. The moment he looked in those eyes he knew of their brokenness. The silent rejection as the child refused his aid and stumbled on his own towards the lake made Poseidon nervous. It wasn't a good sign.

He remembered the scene of the kneeling figure as the fates introduced them to the hero to ask for their aid. He didn't know how to aid a child he knew nothing of, one who rejected any offer of aid unless unconscious. He felt wary as he embraced his grandchildren trying to calm himself for them.

The fates were right, it was going to be a long journey.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. The Beginnings

**Here we go.**

As the break ended, everyone finally stumbled back in the room. All tried to keep their eyes averted from the Sea family and the lake. None were willing to confront anyone yet. All settled in silence as fates asked them to hurry.

Hestia came to Poseidon and tried to ease his nerves. Poseidon asked her to not worry, that he is fine and it's time to read ahead. He afterall needed the name of those who harmed his child.

As all settled, the hero finally climbed out of the lake, his wounds gone and his clothes dry. Poseidon created one more seat by his side in silent invitation, but the boy ignored all such efforts in favor of sitting by the fates. None dared to even breath loudly, Grover looked ready to flung himself on his friend, but fates began ceasing all thoughts -

**The feeling of pain and terrors brought the memories of Mrs. Dodds and the old ladies back.** **But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

  
All looked horrified, Hygeia exchanged a look with Apollo and Soteria.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"**

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted** **.**

  
This made the mothers and guardians smile. At least the boy had a good mother.

The figure flinched again.

 **My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old.**  
Many smiled at the description, however the fact about change in eye color raised some brows.  
Poseidon was reminded of the crimson-sea green eyes. He felt as if forgetting something crucial.

 **When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe**.

"That thing deserves far worse" Apollo muttered and others nodded.

" **Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"**

  
**H** **er red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.**

"Candy?" Athena asked.   
"A kind of sweet " Clotho answered.

**Some times this felt like bribery,** **I** **just couldn't explain why, but something made me felt wary.**

This times the fates flinched, as others looked equally wary.

**Don't doubt me. I love her and she is the only person** **I** **will give even my life to protect. However, it just unsettles me sometimes, the way she shies away about our conversations regarding my father and Gabe.**

Poseidon felt like face-palming. Now even the mother seemed suspicious. Just how much had his future self failed regarding their son?

Hera and Hestia exchanged glances. As goddesses of home and mothers none were pleased with the undertones.

 **But as** **I** **loved her,** **I** **ignored everything. Almost too easily, it felt later, as if enchanted**.

Now Hecate seemed concerned. Poseidon exchanged glances with Apollo. 

  
**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

Generally such sights of domestic bliss made Hestia pleased, however right now she was far too apprehensive to smile.

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"**

**I gritted my teeth.**

As did many others. They all despised Gabe.

  
**M** **y mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe** **.**

The fates shared a look as Grover winced. Poseidon narrowed his eyes. He could sense some conspiracy, however, he couldn't interrupt the fates right now. The figure was again clenching his fists.

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time, despite all the upheavals in the mid-year. I'd made some new friends, though one of them was gone. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Dave.**

It raised some brows. All remembered the way he had reacted to the taunts of Nancy-girl regarding this Dave. Poseidon straightened in his seat to hear about this friend of his child.

 **Dave was my first friend in Yancy, he was my roommate before Grover. He was three years older than me. In Yancy, before the Christmas break, we had to share a room with a senior. It was a system to reduce bullying by seniors. Though it often caused more troubles. But Dave was really nice**. **He saved me many times from bullies and helped me in studies.**

Apollo smiled at that, as did heroes. All knew the necessity of a friend.

 **Dave's parents were going through divorce for quite a while, as he had told me. We never knew who did it** **but** **someone released the news about divorce and the reason behind it in school. Most probably a teacher, since the news spread after teachers- parents meeting. That caused him much problems**.

"Divorce?" Nemesis asked.

"It means legal separation between husband and wife " Clotho said.

Hera frowned at that.

**No, it wasn't the divorce that caused the problems but the reason behind it. Dave's father had outed himself as gay, as per the rumors, and this caused many taunts from the homophobic children and even teachers**. 

  
Now all frowned, it wasn't right to judge a child for his parent's orientation.

 **Plus, in a fight Dave had confessed being gay himself.** **This** **furthered the bullying, no one would talk to Dave. Finally,** **I** **didn't know** **what** **actually happened, but due to bullying and stress, Dave committed suicide. It was me who discovered his body. I returned from class to find the room locked. At first I thought there was some one with Dave but I heard no noise from inside. I remember knocking at the door, asking Dave to open the door, to come out, to go for lunch. No answer came. I finally got the my key and opened the door. Only to find him hanging from the ceiling. I remember feeling week in knees, out of breath as** **I** **watched in morbid fascination. I remember sounds of screams that brought the others at our door. Only later did** **I** **realized that they were my own screams. It shocked me,** **I** **was no stranger to death. It happened far too many times around me, to earn me the name 'death-boy' in one of my old schools. But it was the first time, I guess i had screamed**.

The morbid atmosphere returned, Grover kept opening and closing his mouth, Phobos and Deimos stared at nothing, Hygeia looked pained and Apollo kept shaking his head.

  
The heroes looked morose and angry.

Hestia lowered her gaze to hide her tears. Artemis looked appalled and Aphrodite sobbed.

Poseidon felt weary. There was so much to know about this son of his that he simply didn't know where to begin?

The fates continued-

 **My mother kept sliding her fingers in my hair and** **I** **continued about school**  
 **Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad** , **though** **I** **made sure to not describe** **her** **bullying manners and my** **retaliation** **. I talked about Grover and Mr. Brunner and** **other** **things** **I** **did.**

**Until that trip to the museum …**

" **What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"**  
 **And trust me,** **I** **felt that literally.**

Hecate and Aphrodite exchanged glances.   
As did Thetis and Hestia.

" **No, Mom."**

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.** **I felt like some kind of hallucination, and** **I** **just couldn't say a word to her about it**. 

Grover groaned as did others.  
From the description it was clear that his mother did knew about his parentage. But none could blame him either.

Harpocrates, the god of silence and secret, nodded to himself. There were too many secrets interwoven in the whole affair. The lady must have honored him in some manner for his aid. 

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

" **I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."**

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

" **Three nights-same cabin."**

" **When?"**

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."**

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last few summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money**.

This made many mad. No matter their feelings about the mother, she shouldn't be denied time with her child.

" Oh, I am sure there was no money! Afterall, he did managed to gamble all of it!" Artemis snarled and Hera grimaced. She hated cheaters and abusers.

Poseidon started to make notes about the slights against his child. One day he will extract his revenge. 

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?** "

"Oh she did, and so did us. Trust me mortal, I will make sure you never get any food in your life" Nemesis growled back, thinking of requesting aid from Limos, the goddess of starvation, and Tyche agreed. 

Algea, the goddess of sorrow, also nodded as did her mother Eris, the goddess of strife.

**I wanted to punch him** ,

"Oh do it!" Ares swore and many nodded. Even Hestia. 

**But the end result won't be nice** **for** **me.**

And now they snarled. Theasus joined his father in making the list. They can probably ask Themis, the balancer of justice, for aid if Zeus refused to aid.

**but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

" **I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."**

"Honey! She calls that thing honey! " Aphrodite screamed and ladies grimaced .

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?**

"Of course she was!" Selena said and Helios agreed.

**"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."**

"Oh he will" Demeter assured. She hated those who destroyed moments between mother and child. Her sisters nodded. They will keep an eye on that mortal.

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip … it comes out of your clothes budget, right?** "

"Budget?" Aphrodite asked very slowly.

Fates refused to comment as did the figure. It was ultimately Grover who answered-   
" Uh my lady! Budget is.. it is ..uh a limit on expenditure."

"So, he is limiting the mother's financial ability to buy clothes?" Aphrodite asked in a slightly disturbing manner.

"Uh,..." Grover nodded.

Silence. A pindrop silence. All just stared at Aphrodite who looked ready to smite the mortal.

"So, let me say this just to be sure - he is lazy, dirty, abusive to a child, a liar and deceitful man who not only denies a mother a chance to spend time with her child but also decides and establish limits for his wife disallowing her to buy clothes. " Aphrodite muttered to the growing outrage among the audience.

Grover stared at fates in a pleading manner. They finally nodded towards Aphrodite.

"Alright then ladies! It seems we will be extracting our revenge!" Aphrodite announced and every women agreed.

The men flinched at the aura of bloodlust surrounding the women.

The fates sighed and begin again -

" **Yes, honey," my mother said.**

" **And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."**

" **We'll be very careful."**

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip … And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."**

"Maybe if we torture you to death?" Harmonia asked sweetly and Nemesis chuckled. 

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.**

All agreed wholeheartedly.

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.**

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

Grover winced.  
Others looked thoughtful.

" **I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."**

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.**

" **Yeah, whatever," he decided.**

"Wow" Athena looked appalled.

"Be glad that he didn't detected the sarcasm." Ares muttered to her and she scowled.

**He went back to his game.**

" **Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about… whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**

Harpocrates nodded and Hecate frowned.

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend.**

  
Athena asked about car and Camaro and Lachesis told her that it was a kind of chariot.

"So he didn't helped an 11 year old and instead complained?" Eris sneered.

"And he complained about losing his cook and his chariot, not his wife and stepson?" Selena completed.

Heroes scowled and hunters sneered. Hestia looked ready to curse as did Artemis.

" **Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."**

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was eleven. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me**.

" You can be sure about that" Pan muttered and nature spirits agreed. 

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.**

Many contemplative stares were thrown at Percy. They had to admit he was observant, but for a demigod that didn't know anything, he was powerful.

Poseidon looked proud but worried as Hecate and Pan exchanged glances. That was a piece of nature's magic, especially for Satyrs and Nymphs to ward off the evil. For a mortal child to use it so well was suspicious. 

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

"Aren't you a son of Poseidon? Does that really bother you?" Jason asked curious and this earned him some glaring from Theasus and Orion. 

**I loved the place.**

"Of course." Many rolled their eyes at the statement and the sea siblings grinned along with their father 

**We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.**

Aphrodite smiled, her apprehensions aside, she loved a love story.

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**

Poseidon did had his doubts about the woman, but now he could understand why he was attracted to her. She probably had some sea blood in her. Probably some other sea deity or nereid. That's why her eyes changed with nearing the sea.

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**

"Blue? Not green? " Athena muttered.

**I guess I should explain the blue food.**

Some looked curious. 

**See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.**

"Wonderful! That's all we need ! More rebellious children of Poseidon " Zeus muttered and Poseidon shot him a smirk.

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

"No one ever does" Orion muttered softly and Theasus agreed.

" **He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

They all looked at Percy. It was true. Triton, Bellerophone, Theseus and Orion did resembled Poseidon well, but Percy was almost the spitting softer image of him.

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."**

"I am" Poseidon swore. He was always proud of his children. And this child did made him more attentive, though he still had to meet him properly. 

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six year** s.

All winced at the sadness emanating from those words.

" **How old was I?" I asked. "I mean … when he left?"**

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."**

" **But… he knew me as a baby."**

" **No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."**

Gods grimaced, all despised leaving their expecting lovers but none could defy the ancient laws.

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember … something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

"So, you did visit him." Hestia stated. Poseidon only shrugged "We have no way of knowing.

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me …**

Poseidon smiled sadly, he always hated staying away from his children. 

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

Poseidon flinched. He may not have done anything yet, but to be blamed for that sorry excuse of a man's existence in their lives hurt. However, he couldn't say that his child was wrong. If his doubts were right, then it was probably due to him that the woman married the man.

His children tried to console him as other Gods stared at their children who did their best to avoid meeting their eyes.

" **Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

" **I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think … I think we'll have to do something."**

" **Because you don't want me around?"**

Many flinched at that, especially heroes. All had experienced times when they felt unwanted by their parents. 

**I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

Hestia nodded .

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

"He should have tried being tactful" Hermes muttered to Pan who nodded 

" **Because I'm not normal," I said** **, already preparing for the usual platitudes.**

Heroes grimaced again. All of them could relate.

" **You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."**

" **Safe from what?"** **This** **was new.** **She usually tried to change the topic.**

Hermes and Harpocrates shared a look. Both could sense lies and secrets. 

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

"Enchantment?" Many held a gasp. Who was this woman?

Poseidon groaned. Enchantment was hard to fight. 

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**

"A Cyclops?" Eyes went to Poseidon .

" You sent one of your kids to spy on another kid of your own?" Poseidon looked nonchalant "Future activity remember? But I might have. "

**Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

"Hey, just like Heracles isn't it?" Perseus asked.

At that all looked at Percy and Heracles carefully who both kept silent, lost in thoughts. 

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

Many felt doubtful.

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

But it wasn't just that. Harpocrates could sense. Something divine was at work.


	12. The Flight

**Sorry for the delay. But adding my own version can be** **time taking** .

The fates continued-

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."**

"It is normal for a mother to wish to keep her child. She shouldn't apologize for that. However, she shouldn't have hidden everything like that." Hestia murmured and Hera nodded. 

Eirene, the goddess of peace, and Elpis, the goddess of hope, nodded as well.

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

Poseidon sombered at that. So he might have tried to arrange something for his son.

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."**

" A summer camp" Phanes, the god of life, asked. 

"A summer camp is a place providing recreational and sporting facilities for children during the summer period." Lachesis told them " However, this one is a special place."

"Specially for demigods or something? " Hecate suggested .

Grover nodded at that -" Yes it is. I gave Percy a card of the camp."

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born— talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

All grimaced. Secrets were hardly acceptable, specially in such close relationships. 

**"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."**

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."**

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.**

Poseidon grimaced at that. Not only was the woman hiding secrets, she was also manipulative and sly. How did his future self left his child with her? Why he never checked on her and the child? He usually kept an eye on his children and their guardians.

**I kept silent. Unwilling to push her further or to make her cry more**.

Heroes shared looks. It wasn't anything new afterall. 

**That night I had a vivid dream.**

Morpheus and Hypnos exchanged looks, now this was getting interesting. 

Heroes frowned, demigods dreams were hardly nice.

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

All glances went to the 3 brothers who were exchanging baffled glances of their own. Yes, they kept arguing and there were some major debates between them, but to reflect on the demigod's dream was completely new. 

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!**

All flinched. This sounded much ominous. The sons of sea and sons of skies exchanged glances, this was bad.

**I woke with a start.**

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

"Artillery? " Ares asked.

" A weapon " Atropos replied. 

The sound of storm did nothing to calm the listeners. This felt much worse than normal arguments between the brothers. 

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."**

Poseidon frowned, this wasn't nice.

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten.**

The Horae, goddesses and spirits of seasons, grimaced. This meant complete disbalance in nature. 

**Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

The heroes straightened at that, it sounded like a familiar monster. 

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door** **.**

"What now? " Poseidon mumbled. This chapter was getting on his nerves. 

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.**

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

"Nothing actually" Dionysus commented. 

**My mother looked at me in terror—not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

Hestia frowned .

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

"Everything" All listeners, except the silent figure sitting by the fates, muttered. 

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

**"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

"Language Satyr!" Pan and Dionysus roared. Grover started babbling apologies.

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on—and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be …**

"Ah! The shock of watching the unknown " Hermes snickered and others deep-paned.

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Perseus Achilles Oddessyus Jackson. Tell me now!"**

All stared at the hero, and at the past heroes who looked baffled at the use of their names.

**Never before had my** **mother** **took my full name that** **consisted** **of the** **names** **of three Greek heroes. I was too shocked to comment but her eyes kept me going.**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

"That's what happens when you keep hiding secrets!" Nemesis muttered. 

"Secrets are kept from you" Tyche agreed. 

" But they don't have time for this argument now! " Harmonia reminded them. " They are in danger!

All sobered at that. Poseidon paled as did his children. 

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro—but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.**

"Chapter done" Atropos said. "Someone has to read the next one".

All stared at each other as Zeus huffed and asked for the book.


	13. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gods meet the hero. Time to face the future or not

**Let's Continue**

Zeus started reading-

**Chapter 5: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting**

The whole room fell silent. All tried to keep their eyes away from the gaping Theasus and his paling brothers. Poseidon felt his heart clench. If their guesses were right, his son met one of his monstrous creations. Wonderful!

His glance at his silent future son revealed nothing as the boy looked nonchalant, but his almost stiff posture didn't inspired any assurance.

Zeus began-

 **We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the ga** s.

Ares grinned, now this sound like his way of driving.   
Apollo frowned as did Soteria, this was hardly safe.

 **Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants**.

"What's that?" Aphrodite asked.

The fates snorted and Grover pinked. After a nudge from Nymphs, he sighed -

"A shag is a rug or carpet that has a deep pile, giving it a shaggy appearance. Because of my fur, Percy probably thought that I was wearing some kind of that clothing. "

All smothered their laugh at the pale, blushing faces of Pan and his Satyrs, however, the goddesses were wincing at the thought of such clothes.

 **But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo. The smell of a wet barnyard animal**.

Now, all burst out laughing, ignoring the glares from Satyrs.

Grover kept shaking his head.

 **All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?** "

More laughter.

Grover hid his face in his palms.

 **Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you.** "

Now some stopped snickering.

 **"Watching me?** " **She knew something? Why didn't she said anything.**

Grover winced and the tension rose.

 **"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend.** "

**I wish** **I** **could believe him, but** **I** **sadly couldn't.**

Philotes, god of friendship, nodded. Deception was hardly a way to maintain friendship.

Grover flinched and Poseidon grimaced.

**"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"**

**"That doesn't matter right now."**

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my friend is a donkey - "**

**"** Oh no, no,no! Now,you have done it." Hermes groaned as Pan started muttering threats.

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**"** Well, you did insult him!" Eris giggled as did Nemesis. 

**"Goat!" he cried.**

**"What?"**

**"I'm a goat from the waist down."**

**"You just said it didn't matter."**

" He did" Phobos muttered as Deimos snorted. 

**"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!** "

The Satyrs wholeheartedly nodded as Gods watched amused. 

**"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"**

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"**

"It is not the time to argue" Eirene said. 

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!** " **Now, it might seem childish to argue about that, but for weeks I was doubting my sanity.**

Hygeia winced as did Grover.

**Then why - "**

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."**

" And even then you thought that it was proper to hide truth, instead of telling the boy his parentage and legacy?" Poseidon demanded.

Grover winced, however he had no excuse. He and Chiron had hide secrets to help Percy, not realizing that they were putting him in more danger. The confusion and suspicions Percy suffered was partly due to them. They placed him in danger. Even though Percy never blamed them directly and aided him whenever in need, he had given Percy very few reasons to trust them.

Pan turned pleading eyes to Zeus to keep him reading. 

**"Who I - wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

The Gods and heroes tensed, this was not good.

**"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."**

" **So, you do know something. And Safety from what? Who's after me?"**

Many wanted to know, especially Poseidon. 

**"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."**

All eyes went to Hades who paled. Poseidon gritted his teeth. If Hades was the one who harmed his child, there would be a war.

Hades hoped that his future self was sane enough to not fight against Poseidon. 

Hestia felt tired. She hated fighting in the family but none listened to her.

Zagerus, Melinoe and Macaria, Hades's children, frowned at the looks they were getting. 

The Satyrs looked troubled and Grover face-palmed. He rose, wanting to tell that he was wrong but the fates begin first -

" There are many secrets you will know in time. We suggest you all to listen calmly and not be hasty. And don't judge easily. Yes, Hades had overreacted, though he had a reason, a wrong one , but a reason nonetheless. However, he was hasty and in his hurry he almost caused a war. So, be calm and listen, we would prefer if you learned something to be better than your future-selves. "

And then Zeus began again -

**"Grover!"**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.** **Specially because truth was normally scary enough.**

Altheia, goddess of truth, and Apollo, who also shared the domain of truth, frowned. 

Hypnos, the god of dreams, frowned as well.

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.**

**"Where are we going?" I asked.**

**"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. Unfortunately,** **I** **was already worried. "The place your father wanted to send you."** **She finished.**

**"The place you didn't want me to go."**

**"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."**

"He already was" Momus, the god of mockery and sarcasm, commented, "you were the one who kept hiding. "

The lake exploded making everyone jump, widened eyes stared at the seething figure staring at them with sea green eyes swirling with rage and warning-  
" Don't speak of her like that! She did everything for me. Far more than any of you could ever imagine to do for your children. She might have make mistakes, but she did loved me. Her love, selfish it might have been, sought the best for me. She was willing to suffer to protect me. For me even dying a thousand times is not enough to repay her. She is imperfect and has committed wrongs, but she is my mother!"

All looked stunned, they all had thought that boy must have resented the mother, but he defended her. Fates glared at everyone who tried to comment. 

Hestia sobbed in pride, this mother has a loyal son, as other women watched envious. Poseidon watched his son in contemplation, he has to reevaluate many facts. Thetis smiled approvingly, to have such a devoted child was a mother's fortune. Hera wondered why wasn't any of her children was like this.

As fates made everyone resettle, Zeus , though wary of the powerful demigod, began again. 

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn."**

**"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."**

  
Hermes facepalmed, the Satyr should have been a bit gentle. To state something so dangerous, to a complete stranger, like that, the boy must have felt like going insane with all the weird revelations.

**"Whoa. You said 'you.'"**

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"**

**"You meant 'you.' As in me."**

**"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."**

All looked weirded as **Koalemos** , the god of stupidity, laughed.

**"Boys!" my mom said.**

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

The mood sobered up in an instant. 

**"What was that?" I asked.**

**"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."**

**I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

All nodded in anticipation as well. Hunters and Heroes praying for their safe arrival, as nature spirits prayed for peace.

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

"That's scary. Especially for an ignorant kid." Hecate sighed.

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.**

"What?!" Everyone asked. Poseidon gripped his trident, first Hades now Zeus, all wanted to harm his child. 

Zeus looked baffled and a bit scared of the looks he was getting from his sister and brother. Hestia looked ready to yell, and Poseidon looked ready to drown him.

He gulped and kept reading, hoping that the boy was mistaken. He preferred keeping away from Sea's family, all were problematic in one way or another. 

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

Apollo and Hygeia winced and Poseidon buried his head in his palm.

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."** **My whole body felt grazed with electricity. I took deep breaths to calm myself. I could hear my mother shook in her seat, the last thing** **I** **needed was to distract her.**

All watched as the figure shook and shake, but he denied aid so none could do anything. 

**"Percy!" my mom shouted.**

**"I'm okay... ."** **I shouted back as** **I** **watched my seared forearms, there were few scratches and bruises due to bumping against the car. I was thankful for the darkness that hid my arms from my mother. We needed to get away from the car, the blast of lightning was probably attracted by the metallic body of the car.**

"Normally yes," Athena groused, " but considering your adventures until now, I won't be that sure."

Zeus grimaced as Poseidon glared. Apollo watched upset as the figure ignored the nudges from fates and tried to hide his badly bruised arms.

**I** **was fine,** **only** **a bit shaken**. 

Apollo scoffed earning a glance from Poseidon who also looked shocked at the blue-black and bloody arms.

With a glare from Atropos, the figure immersed his arms in lake to heal.

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.**

"Wonderful!" Poseidon muttered.

**Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"**

Pan flinched as did other nature spirits as Grover fell unconscious with a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth. 

Pan and Apollo rushed to heal him as Zeus once again became a target of many glares. 

"Keep reading " Clotho told him." He will heal with time. He is just unconscious, not seriously hurt.

Zeus did that, just to avoid the glares -

 **He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you lied to me, I don't want you to die**!

And promptly wish to burn the book as the glares intensified.

 **Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope**.

Pan laughed, a bit hysterically, as this Grover too repeated the call for food.

**"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.**

The tensions ran high, Grover might be safe, but others were not. 

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

Theasus keened and Poseidon wished he could turn back time. When he had cursed Pasiphae, because of treachery of Minos, he hardly knew the fate he would be bringing to his children. The hateful beast hated him and his children, Theasus barely survived their fight, and he had trained for many years. But, now his untrained child was going against the beast. 

Poseidon felt terrified of the fights that awaited his sons, because of his doings.

Dionysus smiled, though he hid it, he loved causing trouble for the sea-brats. His Ariadne never recovered from Theasus. He hated competing with anyone for what was his.

**I swallowed hard. "Who is-"**

"Well, he is many things- The beast of Labyrinth, the guardian of Crete, the executioner of Athenians, the beast of Minos.." Hermes commented in a conversational tone, only to receive glares from all children of Poseidon. 

**"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."**

"Yes, hurry" Theasus pleaded.

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

Zeus hurried to escape the burning gazes of his family. 

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

**"What?"**

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

"At least, the lightning showed him the way" Heracles tried to calm the mood only to gulp at the poisonous look Theasus and Orion shot him. Jason and Oddessyus restrained Bellerophone from pummeling his cousin to the ground. 

**"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."**

**"Mom, you're coming too."**

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

Aphrodite felt her heart clench. Eros and Harmonia held his hands to calm her.

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."**

"How loyal?" All mothers felt envious. 

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

"At least try to be useful Satyr " Eris snapped only to earn glares from Pan and other Satyrs. 

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...**

Theasus started shaking and Poseidon looked horrified. 

**"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."**

"This is so intense." Eirene whispered to Soteria who nodded.

**"But..."**

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."**

All wanted the hero to hurry. 

**I got mad, then-mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

Poseidon felt like banging his head against the wall. Next time he would curse his offender to become stone. 

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."**

**"I told you-"**

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover** "

Many smiled at the show of loyalty, but the heroes knew the dangers of such plans.

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

Artemis smiled at the show of appreciation for a woman's strength. 

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass** **.**

"They should cut the grass" Demeter commented engrossed in the tale. 

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear-I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

With every word of this description, Theasus wilted and Poseidon cringed. Orion and Bellerophone tried to comfort their brother and Herophile tried to calm her father.

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

"Why is he so descriptive?" Harmonia whined. Eros tried to comfort her. 

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

"I wish." Theasus whispered, his voice brittle and his eyes dazed. Poseidon cringed again.

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-"**

**"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."**

"Should have been better if told earlier" Nemesis muttered to Tyche who nodded. 

**"But he's the Min-"**

**"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."**

"Smart woman" Athena praised. 

"Not smart enough to train her son" Ares reminded her and she grimaced. 

**The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred yards uphill at least.**

Hermes grimaced, it was a hard distance to cover considering the extra burden and hindrances. 

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

**"Food?" Grover moaned.**

Eris wanted to taunt again but Elpis warned her with a look at the unconscious Satyr. 

**"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

**"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."**

"Small mercies" Theasus whispered and Orion patted his back.

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

"Oof." Hephaestus and Ares grunted. Hephaestus lamenting for the loss of machine and Ares admiring the strength. 

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

Some snorts.

**Oops.**

Many snickered at that. Even Poseidon snorted. That thing deserved much worse. This time he would take care of him.

**"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

"She is smart." Phobos told his brother.

**"How do you know all this?"**

That's what Poseidon wanted to know. 

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."**

Hestia shook her head in denial. She loved her child, it wasn't a crime. But she should have been careful. 

**"Keeping me near you? But-"**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

Theasus went deathly pale. Orion began mumbling to calm him.

**He'd smelled us.**

Philyra ,the shape-shifting goddess of beauty, perfume, healing, writing and divination, frowned.

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

Poseidon grimaced at that. He wished he could aid his child but his hands were tied.

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

Poseidon felt like praying. Litae, the spirits of prayers, seemed nervous with the thoughts of Poseidon.

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."**

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

"No need to be this descriptive!" Theasus moaned and many gagged. 

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

Hebe gasped in fright and Artemis embraced her to console her. Adrestia embraced her sister Harmonia who went pale in fright.

The listeners were at the edge of their seats.

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

"Good" many muttered with a sigh of relief. 

A bit soon it seems as Apollo noticed the figure flinch.

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass**.

This time Hestia gasped and Hera embraced her. 

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

" Be optimistic " Iris, the rainbow goddess , and Elpis , hope's goddess, chided. 

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

"A brave woman " Pan admired . She deserved his blessings for saving his Satyr. 

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"**

Many flinched, a mother's love for her child truly has no competition. 

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air**.

The hall fell silent. Apollo and Artemis went stiff, as did Hermes, reminded of their mothers.

**"Mom!"**

The young ones, the mothers and Nature spirits sobbed. 

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"**

Hestia sobbed as did Hera and Aphrodite. 

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.**

The pandemonium break out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be patient.


	14. The Risk

**Here we go**.

Poseidon lunged to Hades who tried to disappear through shadows. Theasus and Orion rushed to stop Bellerophone from attacking a smirking Apate, the goddess of pain and deceit. There were loud yelling from Hestia who tried to calm her brothers. Zeus tried to comfort Hebe and Demeter who were sobbing. Hera stared at nothing and Aphrodite looked stricken. Ares and Hephaestus tried to calm the children. Hunters huddled closer to Artemis and heroes tried to help the sea siblings. Triton tried to stop his father from declaring a war. Apollo closed his eyes trying to forget his own memories of Leto and Python. Thetis bowed her head as Peleus tried to console her. Achilles looked ready to cry and Jason consoled him and Patroclus. Nymphs were crying and Satyrs looked grim.

The loud air-whistle stopped everyone in their tracks. The silent figure standing by fates bowed his head and looked at fates. Clotho nodded back at him, and Lachesis addressed the mess -

"Please calm down! The fate of the mother is not that hopeless. She was taken hostage, not killed. Please don't harm each other and control your tempers. There are many things you will come across during this reading that will test your patience. We wish for you to be calm and analytical. Please settle down."

The news of fates calmed some nerves. Hestia pulled Poseidon back to his seat. He did left with her, but his glare made Hades gulp.

With everyone resettled, Zeus started reading again -

**"No!"** **I yelled, horrified and stunned.**

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs-the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons** **.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**

Pan gasped, if the beast tried to harm his Satyr, there would be no mercy for him.

**I couldn't allow that**.

Pan nodded. As did other spirits. 

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"**

**"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists**

  
"Oh no, he is furious" Patroclus muttered to Jason, who patted his back.

**I had an idea-a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

"That is a risky tactic. Especially since you are untrained" Athena mumbled and Ares nodded. 

**But it didn't happen like that.**

"Huh" Many frowned. 

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

Poseidon broke his new armrests as Theasus broke his dagger. 

**Time slowed down.**

The Gods straightened. That sounded bad. Hopefully it was only a figure of speech and not a literal occurrence. 

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.**

This shocked all of the listeners, for an untrained hero it was an unbelievable feat. Many wondered if there had been some kind of divine intervention. 

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

" Oh" Apollo winced as he stared at the trickle of blood trickling out of the clenched teeth of the hero.

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

"This sounds like utter madness." Harmonia grimaced.

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

  
" Good" Athena commented. At least the boy wasn't a complete fool regarding battle. He could sense weaknesses and strengths. 

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

**"Food!" Grover moaned**.

"Oh shut up Satyr!" Eris groaned and Pan cringed. 

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel.**

**"** Hmmm" Ares mused. He understood the rage and madness of war and fighting. He even encouraged the inner anger to make heroes fight better. But to lose oneself in this madness was hardly beneficial. 

**I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap!**

  
"Hiss!" Many looked surprised. For an untrained hero, that was a lot of power.

Ares and Athena exchanged looks. Rage might have been a factor, but to do this was unheard of. 

Poseidon however felt troubled. The description regarding rain and strength made him wary. The children of sea drew their strength from sea, and water was their natural element. But to gain strength from rain water ? None of his children could do that, though he did possessed this ability. Freshwater was the domain of Tethys and rain was domain of Zeus. Though Poseidon was the stormbringer, most of rainstorms were created by Zeus.

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife** **.**

"Woah" Many gasped in admiration. The hero was really strong. And now he had a weapon. 

Apollo however frowned at the bleeding forehead of the hero and his shaking head as if trying to clear his head.

  
**The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

" Brilliant " Ares stood up with a roar. Poseidon watched his future son in pride and worry. To defend himself against a beast even when untrained showed the innate strength of the boy.

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

The whole room cheered. The sea siblings the loudest. 

**The monster was gone.**

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief. I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go.**

Hestia and others nodded approvingly, this was a great hero. Trying to aid others even when injured. 

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a girl, her blond hair in a princess's curls. They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be.** "

The figure collapsed, Apollo rushed to heal the injuries.

"So, they were there and still didn't aid?" Someone mumbled and the Gods grimaced. 

**"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."**

The figure shook as if trying to get away. Apollo held him tight and Zeus gave the book to Hera after announcing a break.


	15. The Grief

**So, please keep commenting**.

The break gave many to assemble their thoughts, while many were excited about the boy's victory, there were many doubts and suspicions regarding the happenings. The clashing elements, the missing mortal, the chasing monsters; all these made the elder gods worry. Zeus talked with Hera while keeping an eye on Poseidon. Hestia tried to comfort Hebe and Pallas who were still upset. Demeter tried to talk with her daughter who seemed estranged. Poseidon gave suggestions to Triton about further actions while keeping an eye on his future son who was still trying to deny aid from fates. Apollo stood by Artemis, both shaken by the loss of boy's mother. The heroes were chatting between themselves as they discussed the fight and the boy's actions.

Spirits called everyone for lunch, as all settled there were complete silence since none knew to how to address the elephant in the room. The idea of hiding gods, ignorant mortals, the abuse against children and changed social norms were quite hard to digest.

The heroes were having their own crisis, none before had enjoyed a meal with the gods. It was an honor. But right now, none of them knew how to perform in such stiff atmosphere.

Hestia tried to cater to her family's needs, making small conversations and giving advice. But she, as well, was troubled with the truths they had learned so far. The abuse in house showed the poor state of hearth, this saddened her. Especially since the hero dived in the lake and refused the fates's demands to have lunch with them. This troubled Poseidon and his children as well. Finally they sent some fruits for him to consume.

The moment the lunch ended, the heroes rushed back, eager to leave to stifling scene. The Gods followed in a sedate pace. After, they all settled down, Hera started reading - Chapter 3  
 **\- I Played Pinochle with a Horse**

 **I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food**.

This made many laughs as they stared at the blushing Satyrs. Grover had finally woken up during the lunch, but he still felt sick.

**I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again.**

Again many snickers.

**Once** **I** **remember hearing a lullaby, though I couldn't see the singer. It brought me peace. It sounded like my mother's songs, lulling me to rest.**

The mothers looked saddened and Poseidon clenched his fingers.

**I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon. Don't know why but** **I** **felt weird about her presence. As if something warned me to stay away.**

Grover looked surprised as the fates grimaced and the hero stiffened. The others exchanged nervous glances.

**When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"**

"Why? What happened at solstice?" Zeus demanded and fates pointed at the book, much to the consternation of the lord of skies.

**Now, I don't know much about proper bed-side manner, however I don't think that asking a barely conscious person questions is right. Especially, when you are not even asking about their health or pain. Still,** **I managed to croak, "What?"**

"That's right " Apollo mumbled, appalled with the atrocious manner of taking care of injured person.

**She looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"**

"Something was stolen!!" Zeus thundered as Gods and others gaped. Who can steal from Gods? Who will even want to steal from them? This was the gravest sin anyone can commit.   
Hera continued catching the eyes of fates.

**"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..."**

**Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding, almost choking me.**

Apollo face-palmed and others scowled. 

**The next time I woke up, the girl was gone.**

"Thankfully " Theasus muttered and Orion nodded. 

**A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes— at least a dozen of them—on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.**

"Argus" Hera gasped and smiled and Zeus scowled. 

Many hid their smirking faces.

**When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to.**

Poseidon grimaced at that. So did many heroes.

**I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries**.

Pan smiled at the description of nature and spirits felt happy about the beautiful scenery.

**There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt**.

Hygeia stared at the silent figure sitting by fates, who seemed to be caressing his jaw.

**On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.**

"Necter" the Gods smiled. All loved Necter for the strength it brought them.

**My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.**

"Careful " Hestia chided.

**"Careful," a familiar voice said.**

**Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy.**

All frowned and Grover winced. 

**So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And ...**

All winced at that. Shock and denial were understandable, but it won't help the child.

**"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."**

**Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.**

**Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.**

"Oh dear" Harmonia winced and Eros frowned.   
Hygeia stared at Apollo who stared back, denial will not ease the pain.

**"The Minotaur," I said.**

**"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea—"**

**"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded, unwilling to listen more strange ideas. I needed answers. "The Minotaur. The beast of Labyrinth. The son of Pasiphae. The monster born because of Poseidon's curse. Half man, half bull."**

**"** He should listen to the Satyr" Pan mumbled. 

Hermes listened it and said, "Yes he should, but now is not a good time. Not many rational decisions are taken while grieving. The child is still confused and shocked. He needs time."

**Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"**

"Two days?" Poseidon demanded as his children looked astonished. 

"He healed rather quickly " Apollo commented making the sea god glare at him.

Hygeia said to others - " Think in this manner. He was badly bruised, probably broke or damaged his ribs as he was holding his sides during the reading, he also had concussion and who knows what other injuries from the strike of lightning. It is really a miracle that he healed in two days ."

Poseidon scowled but nodded. 

**"My mom. Is she really ..."**

**He looked down.**

They went back to wincing. 

**I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.**

"What does he mean?" Persephone and Pan demanded. 

**My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful** **.**

Now they all cringed. The mothers smiled sadly at the affection between mother and child. 

**"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm—I'm the worst satyr in the world.** "

Grover sniffled here as well and the spirits tried to console him. The figure seemed tired and forlorn.

**He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.**

**"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.**

**Thunder rolled across the clear sky.** **I stared at the scene, wondering what does it mean for me now. Is there still any purpose of my life?**

The listeners looked horrified and Grover seemed stunned. Poseidon stared at his son in muted horror and his children looked lost. Hygeia stared at Apollo who seemed to share her worries.

It was Hestia who addressed the hero-   
"While your loss is great hero, you shouldn't think of your life as purposeless. Your mother was ready to sacrifice herself for your sake. Are you sure that your despair will please her?"

The hero stared at Hestia but said nothing. Before Poseidon could say a word, the fates signaled Hera to continue- 

**I thought about my life while staring at Grover**. **As much as my life felt worthless, I knew my mother would never see me again if I committed suicide**. **So** **I** **have to survive for now, at least until** **I** **figure out how to get away from Grover.**

It made many to take a breath of relief. Poseidon thanked his stars that the child at least wasn't completely suicidal right now. He just needed a purpose. This time he would make sure that his child find that purpose. 

**Besides I didn't knew whether there is an afterlife or not**. 

Poseidon felt great about the child's ignorance. While Hades looked amused. 

**As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it.**

**Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head. But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.**

"Oh child!" Demeter mumbled and Others looked down.

**I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe?**

The whole hall flinched. To send a child to live with that abomination!! It was impossible.  
Poseidon swore that he would personally take his child under the sea if that happened .

**No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.**

"Good. Keep thinking other things" Athena commented and Artemis nodded. Paying attention to other things will keep the child away from losing himself in grief. 

**Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid—poor goat, satyr, whatever—looked as if he expected to be hit**.

Grover flinched and Pan grimaced. If anyone had hurt his Satyr, he would unleash his rage.

**His pale appearance made me remember my own position near Gabe. I would prefer to not become like him.**

All grimaced. Some felt glad that the boy was at least trying to be better. 

**So** , **I said as** **I** **believed, "It wasn't your fault."**

Many nodded in agreement and approval.

**"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."**

Grover nodded morosely, agreeing with his past self and Pan tried to console him.

**"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"** **I was really wondering about this. Why had my mother been aware of these strange events? What did she knew of this all?**

All wanted to know this.

**"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."** **Grover said.**

**"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.**

"Don't exert yourself " Hygeia chided and she also settled by Apollo to keep an eye on the hero. 

**"Don't strain yourself," Grover said.**   
**"Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.**

"Good" Apollo commended. At least someone knew how to aid the healing patients. 

**I recoiled at the taste,**

**"** What?" Surprised colored the question of people .

Hera just continued to read.

**because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies—my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting.**

**"** How?" Patroclus asked Jason.

Achilles answered him - " For those mortals that test nectar, it imitates their favorite food. It is a way to provide comfort, since only injured demigods can take a sip of nectar.

**Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay**.

  
Thetis bowed her head and many mothers and children held back tears. To lose a parent in such a young age was truly a great ordeal.

**Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.**

**"Was it good?" Grover asked** **and** **I nodded.**

**"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty**

  
"Guilty for what?" Orion asked the silent figure who did stared at his brother making some feel worried. But he didn't said anything .

**"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."**

"Oh no " Pan said. Giving Nectar to Satyr was a wrong idea. 

"I know, I told him later" Grover assured him.

**His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."**

**"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade."**

The young ones looked hungry at the description of food. The Nymphs brought some snacks at the nod from Hestia. 

**He sighed. "And how do you feel?"**

**"Like I could throw the Minotaur a hundred yards**."

Many grinned at this. Some sign of positive thoughts. 

**That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"**

**"What do you mean?"**

**He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite** **.**

**"** Dynamite?" Ares frowned. 

"A kind of explosive weapon " Clotho told him.

Many sighed at the look of wonder on Ares's face. Even heroes looked in awe.

**and set it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting.**

**"** Mr.D?" Gods asked confused. 

" Chiron?" Heroes asked pleased.

Suddenly there was a blast of light making everyone shield their eyes. 

As the light dimmed everyone gasped at the 2 newcomers.


	16. The Suspicious

**So, it will get** **rowdy** **and confusing. Hold on.**

There were 2 figures, one was a centaur and the other was in a weird contraption wearing strange clothes ,standing before the crowd, the past heroes grinned as they saw their old teacher however Grover paled and the silent figure stiffened as they saw the figure in the wheelchair.

The newcomers had kept their eyes closed, as the light dimmed they opened their eyes to watch their new surroundings. Both smiled at the sight of their grinning students, though if one looked closer, the smile of the the stranger seemed strained. Hestia smiled at the trainer of heroes and decided to introduce him to the future hero. But fates beat her to it.

They regarded the figure in a wheelchair with cold gaze and asked him to settle down. This baffled the gods who asked the fates about the newcomer, with a sigh Lachesis removed the mist to reveal the immortal trainer of heroes. The past heroes gasped and grinned again. To be an immortal was an honor in their eyes, and their teacher was the most eligible person for that gift. At the awed faces of past heroes, fates scoffed and Grover grimaced. Poseidon also realized that it was Chiron who kept his child in dark about his heritage and lied to him making his son doubt his sanity. Their grand plan put his son in worse danger. He was rearing to scold the future Chiron before he realized the stiff mood enveloping their guests from future.

As the newcomer stared at the silent figure, sitting by the fates, he scowled coming out of his wheelchair and he opened his mouth, as if, to denounce him, only for Grover to rush to him trying to calm him. As he stared at the Satyr in amazement and horror, the fates addressed him-  
"Centaur! You might be a beloved teacher of heroes, your actions and inactions have left much to desire. You're biased and prejudiced and hasty in your judgments. We suggest you to keep quiet. The powers that brought you here won't allow us to harm you but we can be really vengeful. And yes, the Satyr is right. So be careful. The truth will reveal itself in time."

"B..b.. but it can't be true my ladies? " the centaur stuttered " she couldn't do that! I know her, she...she."

"And yet she did Centaur " Clotho snapped, "Or, do you doubt our words?"

"She did those deeds, Chiron" Lachesis sighed, trying to calm the frazzled nerves of both the Centaur and their hero, "Please, try to understand.

"Her deeds has made her an enemy of fates" Atropos finished, " And you should be more careful about your students. "

The whole episode made the onlookers nervous as they watched the future Chiron wither in a moment with the suspicious words of the fates. Then the future Chiron winced as he gazed at the silent figure who resolutely kept his eyes away from the spectacle. He tried to move further, his hands in motion of placating. "Percy...I "

But then the figure dived in lake and Chiron flinched. The fates sighed and asked everyone to settle. All looked confused, but the look in the eyes of fates was warning enough. Besides the broken and lost look in the eyes of Chiron made the assembly swallow back their questions. But Poseidon narrowed his eyes. He was sure that Chiron was also a part of his child's suffering. The moment he got a proof, he will make the centaur pay.

The past Chiron settled with his students and the future Chiron settled by Grover.

Hera continued -

**The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.**  


  


**My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.**  


  


  
"Good" the heroes and the war gods praised. It was a spoil of war, a proof of his victory. He must keep it close.  


  


**As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.**  


  


**We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.**  


  


  
All looked awed. It sounded beautiful, a perfect place for children of gods.  


  


Bellerophone smiled at the description of Pegasi. Pan and Demeter looked happy with the description of nature and beauty. Others smiled at the thought of their future children safe and learning to be heroes.  


  


No one, except some spirits, saw the future guests flinch.  


  


**Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me, and almost choked me, popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them**.  


  


Future Chiron looked surprised at the comment of choking and Grover winced.  


  


**The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels— what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. I mean he looked androgynous by his face, babyish, but his heavy body made him appear much older. It seemed ....surprising** **I** **guess.**  


  


The Gods exchanged glances. Poseidon cringed, he could guess who it was. So did Grover and Chiron. They could only pray that Dionysus didn't take it as bad as his future self did.  


  


**He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my stepfather**.  


  


Now all stared at Dionysus who looked baffled, the description sounded like him, though they couldn't understand some parts of it. What was a trailer-park? The spirits stared at Grover who refused to acknowledge their gazes.  


  


**"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... ."**  


  


**He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.**  


  


**First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.**  


  


  
"You never changed Chiron" Heracles said fondly and future Chiron gave him a strained smile.  
The past Chiron also smiled and went back to answer Achilles's questions.  


  


  
**"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.**  


  


**The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.**  


  


"What is a quiz?" Athena asked.  
"A test" Future Chiron answered her.  


  


**"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."**  


  


**He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."** **His tone told me to watch it.**  


  


The Gods frowned.  


  


**Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr**. **Besides, there was something, some inner voice or instincts** **that** **made me want to step away. I don't know why but not only I felt confused** **and** **wary,** **I** **also felt unsafe. Their was a hint of danger around the guy. Not only because of his drinking habits but something primitive.** **I also** **felt annoyed and angry. Though mostly** **I** **felt sad**.  


  


The Gods exchanged glances again. The boy had good instincts to catch the hint of danger. But why was Dionysus there?  
Grover and Chiron exchanged looks of their own. And felt like shaking their heads. Despite of realizing the hint of danger, he still argued against Dionysus again and again.  


  


Poseidon frowned. The boy's senses were top notch, but the thoughts of anger made him worry.  


  


**"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.**  


  


**She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy.**  


  


**"** Is she a healer then? Why did she questioned a patient like that then? Why did she almost choked him?" Apollo questioned Chiron who grimaced. It was true that Ann..she had no proper training of healing. It was Kayla and Lee who healed Percy, but Ann...she wanted to be near the newcomer. And he had given in her pleadings. As he always did. Was that the reason? Chiron wondered. Was that why she committed all those deeds? Because she always got her way.  


  


Apollo stared annoyed at the silent centaur, finally Hera continued  


  


**Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."**  


  


**Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."**  


  


**She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight**. She looked calculating and calm. Her gaze made me wary.  


  


Grover grimaced and Chiron looked distant.  


  


**She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I what imagined she was going to say** , **if she would be awed with the deed or dismissive of my actions and tell me how she could do** **it**.  
**Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep.** "  


  


There were many sardonic grins and smiles. They were all wary about this girl.  


  


**I couldn't sense any malice or ill-will from her, just indifference. That was fine with me, especially since** **I** **knew nothing about her as well, it would be wrong to judge**.  


  


The listeners nodded, being judgmental was easy, but hardly acceptable.  


  


**Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her**.  


  


Aphrodite smiled, but it died at the grimace on Grover's lips.  


  


**"So," I said to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?".**  


  


**"Not Mr. Brunner," the ex—Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."**  


  


**"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that also stand for something?"**  


  


  
"  


  


Hmmm" the Gods looked amused.  


  


**Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."**  


  


**"Oh. Right. Sorry."**  


  


**"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."**  


  


**Because** **I** **survived? Should** **I** **thank him? I wondered what he meant by his last comment.**  


  


Future Chiron winced. He really was out of it.  


  


**"House call?"**  


  


**"My year at YancyAcademy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence."**  


  


  


  


**"** **Okaayy" That sounded suspicious** .  


  


  


  


Grover snickered and Chiron pinked.  


  


**I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.**  


  


  


  


**"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked** **.** **Why** **? Why it was so important for him to come? Why does he talk of it as a great ordeal? What did my mother knew about it?**  


  


Poseidon wanted similar answers.  


  


**Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for CampHalf-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."**  


  


  
**First test? To be chased by a** **monster** **was a part of test? What kind of test? I don't remember applying for it? And what about my mother? Was she also a part of test? If** **I** **passed** **the test** **by staying alive, does it mean my mother failed? There was so much** **I** **wanted to ask,** **I** **didn't know where to begin**.  


  


All winced. The statement from future Chiron was rather surprising. And also a bit crude.  


  


**"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently,"are you playing or not?"**  


  


**"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.**  


  


  
"Well " Pan looked worried. His Satyrs shouldn't look so scared of his friend.  


  


The other gods cringed, Poseidon looked grateful that Dionysus had fallen asleep, he had asked Morpheus to put Dionysus to sleep after fates sent him a signal to do so. Now he owed Morpheus a favor, though it didn't mattered much. His child's safety comes first, though he will suggest him to keep his thoughts respectful.  


  


**"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.**  


  


**"I'm afraid not," I said.**  


  


**"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.**  


  


  


  


**"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less** **. His strictness made me want to rebel.**  


  


**"** So, like his father then" Zeus grumbled, "Always rebellious."  


  


Poseidon grinned at that. Grover winced thinking how true it was.  


  


**"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules.** "  


  


Hera continued before anyone could ask anything. She hated interruptions.  


  


**"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.**  


  


**"Please," I said, tired of this evasion"what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun—Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"**  


  


"A good point to begin" Hermes commented.  


  


  


  


**Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."**  


  


  


  


**The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.**  


  


P  


  


an looked really worried. Perhaps he should have a chat with Dionysus.  


  


**Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer**. **Though why he thought that** **I** **had no idea,** **I** **was like a blind man caught in a maze.**  


  


Grover winced at the reminder of Labyrinth. Heracles pouted at the comment about star student.  


  


**"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?'**  


  


"Ah you know , nothing much" Nemesis muttered to Enyo who sti  


  


**"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."**  


  


Thetis clinged to Peleus at that, who tried to console her.  


  


**"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not** **?**  


  


**"** Rude" All mothers commented. Hera sniffed in disdain.  


  


**"What?" I asked.**  


  


  


  


**He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.**  


  


**"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."**  


  


"And so he learned nothing " Grover stared accusingly at Chiron who looked guilty.  


  


  


  


**"Orientation film?" I asked.**  


  


"What is a film?" Harmonia asked.  


  


"A form of entertainment or education. " Clotho told her.  


  


**"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"—he pointed to the horn in the shoe box—"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods—the forces you call the Greek gods—are very much alive."**  


  


"Uh, not sure if it will explain everything " Hermes muttered to Athena who looked equally lost.  


  


**I stared at the others around the table** , **completely confused and a bit scared**  


  


"Yeah, that's normal " Adrestia muttered to Eros.  


  


**I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.**  


  


  


  


**"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"**  


  


**"Eh? Oh, all right."**  


  


  


  


**Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.**   


  


  


  


**"Wait," I, trying to concentrate on the main point, told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."**  


  


  
"Well of course there is, and you're sitting in the middle of them." Hermes boasted earning a laugh from Aphrodite and Ares.  


  


**"Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."**  


  


  


  


**"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"**  


  


  


  


**"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."**  


  


"Smaller " Everyone turned to future Chiron, who looked like a deer caught in a headlight. " Sorry " He muttered and his past self shook his head.  


  


**"Smaller?"**  


  


  
"Even he is surprised" Phobos muttered to a smirking Deimos.  


  


**"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."**  


  


  


  


**"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."**  


  


"Yes, but there is Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter and others as well. And you must remember Poseidon. " Bellerophone commented to his brothers who nodded.  


  


**And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day.**  


  


  
"  


  


Ah, how brilliant! The boy attracted their attention " Eris said to Enyo. " Why didn't he called us as well, we can have so much fun." Enyo chuckled at that.  


  


**"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."**  


  


  


  


**"But they're stories," I said. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."**  


  


"Science?" All demanded from Grover and Chiron, both blamed Percy in their minds.  


  


Atropos took mercy- " Science is a subject taught in future. Generally speaking, since Gods went into hiding, mortals tried to come with explanations for natural phenomena and thus science was born."  


  


All nodded, still looking troubled. None ever thought that one day they will be just stories told for amusement.  


  


**"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I flinched when he said my name, which I never told anybody—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."**  


  


  
"  


  


Now, Dionysus! Don't blame the boy! We hid from mortals. We can't blame them for trying to find some meaning to their lives. " Hestia chided unaware of Dionysus's sleeping.  


  


**I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut**.  


  
"Ah well, look he is learning" Hermes said to Artemis who looked amused.

**"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"**  


  


  


  


**I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.**  


  
"Good instincts " Athena praised and Hestia nodded.

  
**"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.**  


  


  


  


**"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"**  


  


This made everyone flinch. Knowing was one thing, but to say that in a impolite manner, so casually was...  


  


The Past Chiron looked stunned as his students filled him about the boy's mother.  
The future Chiron looked shocked. He didn't even remembered his words, but to listen to his comments from Percy's view was...enlightening to say the least.  


  


**My heart pounded. His comment about moving away from my mother's death stung. I took a deep breath to calm myself. He still smiled serenely, as if waiting for me to react. I had seen such teachers, such adults, hidden taunts and cutting barbs. Words spoken to calmly like discussing weather. Pretending to be gentle. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him.**  


  


With every word Chiron flinched. The immortal centauemr could feel the disappointment and shock of Gods and his students. Even his past self looked horrified. He didn't meant it. He just wanted to give an example. He never realized how Percy might have taken it. Grover hid his pale face with his trembling hands.  


  


Poseidon looked outraged and so did his children.  


  


**I took a deep breath and said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."**  


  
"No worries! You will come around. Trust me, I know" Hermes commented trying to calm the mood.

**"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."**  


  


  


  


**Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."**  


  


  


  


“Oh, thanks for that! Chiron almost forgot!” Enyo hisses, gently knocking her head on the shoulder of Eris.  


  


**"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"**  


  


  


  


**He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.**  


  


  


  


**My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.**  


  


"Wait till you have seen other stuff" Ares said and his sons grinned.  


  


**Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."**  


  


  


  


**Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.**  


  


  


  


**"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"**  


  


  


  


**More thunder.**  


  


"Restrictions?" A recently awoken Dionysus shouted. " Wine is restricted to me? It is my source of power!!"  


  


"Probably a mistake" Hestia comforted.  


  


Hera continued -  


  


**Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.**  


  


  
"So I was mistaken " Dionysus screamed making all flinch. The hall filled with a scent of grapes, the aura filled with rage and madness.  


  


**Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."**  


  


" You restricted me from wine for a wood nymph?" Dionysus asked stunned.  
Zeus looked completely baffled. All the Gods and goddesses stared at Zeus, open-mouthed.  


  



	17. The Clash

**Here we are**.

From the moment the Universe was created, Chaos had made certain crucial rules. The first was to never misuse their authority, however, we all know how that turned out. But the one one rule, even the Gods were duty-bound to honor was respecting one's source of power. The source of power kept Gods in check and made them careful to not cross lines. The rulers, time to time, were warned by Chaos, during their enthronement, to never take a deity's source of power away from them. Because, it could cause severe harm to the deity. In exchange, deities had to show complete devotion to their duties.

But to separate a deity from their source of power was a taboo. That was the reason that even though Gods took the places of Titans, their domains remained tied. Apollo shared his with Helios, Artemis with Selena, etc. Even if turned mortal, the Gods will still have connections with their domains. The connection could never be broken, that's why the demigods shared the powers of their parents. Even if the Gods don't have DNA, they still shared essence, giving their children a part of themselves.

The whole council was aware of this fact, and even Zeus was careful to never cross this rule of Chaos. But the fact that his future self will separate a god from his source of power was unbelievable, and that too just for a Nymph. Even Hera looked bewildered, inspite of her aversion to her husband's illegitimate children, she knew he loved them. And almost all the times he tried to save them in one way or other. The fact that he could punish his son in this manner was incomprehensible.

The whole council looked stunned in silence, none could believe that Zeus could do that. Hades and Poseidon looked amazed, both knew of their brother's affection for his sons, he afterall had made Dionysus a God, even if he preached that it was repayment for his mother's death and Hera's deeds. Hestia looked gobsmacked and Demeter confused. The godly children of Zeus looked horrified and mortal children looked astonished. Even though the mortal heroes didn't knew the laws of Chaos, the looks on faces of God's were enough to scare them.

"For a Nymph, father! For a Nymph, you separated me from my source of power? Why?" Dionysus couldn't believe his ears. It was unbelievable. How can his father do this? Why would he do it? Doesn't he know that this can destroy him? The wine-God looked heartbroken. Only his father had been by his side when he became a god. He was the first demigod to become a God, an Olympian at that. Hestia had to leave her seat for him. This had made many wary of him, especially since he was still learning to control his powers. His father had been his guide. His strength. He had aided him. He even made Aridne immortal. Now, why had his father punished him so?

Zeus himself looked horrified. As a king, he had to be a symbol. He made sure to establish a good model to Gods. His womanizing ways aside, he tried to be better than his father. Now, his future self had gone and done this.

"There must be a mistake" Athena asserted, " Father won't harm Dionysus in this manner! I don't believe it."

Hestia looked at fates and future Chiron, almost pleading, trying to make them say that it was not so. But the hesitant looks and neutral expressions, made her heart tremble. She couldn't believe it. Her father had broken many rules, but even he never separated a deity from their source of power. And he was the monster who swallowed them. What does this mean for them? For their future?

"Alright! Everyone calm down" Apollo called out. As everyone turned to him, he continued -

"Yes, we know that something is wrong. Just think about it. From the beginning the book is telling us something is wrong. The weird circumstances, the clash between elements, the monsters,; all of it shows that we have been neglecting our duties. "

Now all looked appalled, but Apollo continued-

"But it can change. You remember right, the fates brought that book so that we became better rulers. So, we just have to make sure to do that. Right "

The whole hall stared at him, half in bewilderment, half in contemplation. But Artemis stood up to support him, as did others. Even Zeus smiled at this. All calmed a bit. Fates smiled to themselves. It seems things can change. All remained ignorant of the return of the silent figure, who once again settled by the side of fates, staring at the council with a neutral expression.

As the others Gods cajoled Dionysus to smile and made Zeus apologize to him for his future actions, the mood calmed.  
And once again the reading began. But this time, all godly children of Zeus took upon their mortal forms to sit with their siblings. They sat, with Dionysus in middle of them, by Apollo's side.

And Hera began to read -

**"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."**

  
All winced at that, Zeus looked appalled and Dionysus morose.

Apollo and Hestia swore to keep and eye on Zeus, as did Poseidon and Hades. They don't need another Kronos.

**Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.**

  
This caused some to snicker, Apollo nudged Dionysus who looked angry at the description.

 **But if** **I** **was denied my favorite thing,** **I** **guess** **I** **would probably behave like that as well**.

Hestia smiled at this as did many Gods. At least he was sensitive.

**How, his comments made me realize something**. **"And ..." I stammered, "your father is ..."**

**"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course** **.**

**"** Yes, but he doesn't know that you are a god" Hestia chided and Dionysus shrugged sipping his wine. 

**I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.**

  
"It seems he realized" Apollo mused.

**"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."**

"Yeah, he did" Hermes nodded 

**Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"**

**"Y-yes, Mr. D."**

**"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"**

"Well, You should fix your appearance for that" Aphrodite mused and Dionysus paled, he didn't needed her help for looks. Others laughed at his face.

**"You're a god."**

**"Yes, child."**

**"A god. You**!" 

Now, some looked amused. Dionysus snarled again. Poseidon face-palmed. 

**"Now don't judge, ok. I never met a God before, not that** **I** **knew of them. But if you met someone like that, won't you be surprised at least."**

Many nodded at that, the boy wasn't wrong. 

**He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life**.

Dionysus shrugged at the look of reproach from Hestia. Though the look of rage from Poseidon made him sweat. 

**"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.**

**"No. No, sir."**

"Smart" Ares muttered to Aphrodite who snickered.

**The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win** **".**

**"** At least he is smart " Athena muttered. 

**"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."**

Dionysus looked surprised at that as did others. Future Chiron flushed at the looks he got from pranksters. 

**I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.**

A

  
gain many startled gazes at Dionysus and Chiron.

**"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment** **.**

Grover paled at the memory and Pan frowned. 

**Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."**

Pan swore to have a chat with Dionysus. 

**Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."**

**He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably** **.**

**"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron.**

Pan also wanted to know. 

**Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."**

**"** Hmmm" Athena mused.

**"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"**

**"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."**

**"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?"**

"Well we have to be. Afterall you are born aren't you?" Hermes commented to Apollo who snorted.

**"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."**

Athena startled at that. She wanted to know more of this "heart of west."

**"The what?"**

**"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know—or as I hope you know, since you passed my course—the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods**.

"That's interesting to know " Athena commented. 

**"And then they died."**

  
"Oh not again ! He literally just met a God " Eris complained to Enyo who patted her back.

**"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus**. 

Zeus looked proud as his siblings shared looks of exasperation .

**Look at the statue of Prometheus in RockefellerCenter, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here**."

  
"Good explanation" Apollo praised future Chiron. 

**It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.**

"Well he is now, especially after that killing of monsters" Phobos said to the his brother. 

**"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?"**

"My son!" Poseidon announced and his other children shared a grin.

**Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.**

"Looks can be deceptive" Harpocrates commented. 

**"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."**

**And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached..**

“Interesting…” Hephaestus murmured, staring at future Chiron's vehicle, rubbing his chin again. 

**I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.**

"Must be shocking" Hecate commented to Eris.

**"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."**


	18. The Introduction

**So,** **I** **am changing some parts. Hope you don't mind**.

  
The book was then passed to Hades, who sniffed at the looks from Poseidon, but started reading - Chapter-6 **\- I became the Snark-lord of the Lake.**

Many exchanged glances at the title. Some stared at Chiron who shrugged.

 **Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tou** r.

" Good " Athena muttered. She liked all others wanted to know more about this camp.

  
**We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him."**

"Already famous then" Perseus joked as his companions snickered. Even some Gods snickered at that.

**Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMPHALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, well I have faced worse starings and glares** , 

The mood sobered. Poseidon cringed as did Grover and future Chiron. 

**but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something**.

  
"Well, killing Minotaur was a big achievement" Hestia comforted.

**I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weathervane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.**

"What now?" Poseidon asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Grover look startled as did future Chiron.

  
**"What's up there?" I asked Chiron.**

**He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."**

"What are you hiding now?" Poseidon groaned as did others, they were tired of such secrets. 

"We will explain later, its probably in books. " Chiron tried to placate. 

Hades continued- 

**"Somebody lives there?"** **I have seen and met people who lived in attics or dark places. It wasn't by choice for many, but it didn't mean** **that** **Chiron had to hide about it. I wouldn't judge.**

  
Hestia frowned and nodded. Harpocrates frowned as well

**"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."**

  
"Not a lie" Hermes commented.   
"But not truth as well," Apollo finished.

"How long will you keep the boy in dark?" Poseidon demanded. He despised the ignorance of his child and the way others still kept secret.

Chiron said nothing.

**I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain.**

  
"Trust your instincts" Athena commented and Ares nodded, "They will keep you safe."

**"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."**

**We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.**

  
Pan smiled at that.

**Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and MountOlympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."**

**He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.**

  
Dionysus snarled at that and other gods flinched. Zeus felt a headache coming. 

**I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.**

  
The other Satyrs felt worried as well, Pan looked at Grover who winced but nodded his assent at being fine.

  
**"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."**

**Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."**

"He did that!" Pan yelled and other spirits nodded. 

"How?By hiding secrets and making the boy worried about his sanity? By fainting and making an untrained demigod fight a Minotaur?" Eris taunted and Grover flinched looking down.

Pan snarled at her, but he couldn't answer her back. She wasn't wrong completely. 

Hestia tried to calm them. Though Poseidon secretly agreed with Eris.

**"But he did that!"**

Hades snorted as he read this. Grover smiled and Pan grinned.  
Many shook their heads at the grinning Satyrs. 

**"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."**

  
"Fainting hardly shows any courage." Eris said to Enyo who giggled 

**I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble** **. Besides it was the strike of lightning that hurt Grover and made him unconscious.**

H

estia smiled approvingly as did others. Poseidon frowned but nodded after glaring at Zeus and Hades who winced.

**"He'll get a second chance, won't he?** "

Pan nodded at that. Of course, he will give the Satyr a chance. He tried afterall. He just needed some time.

**Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ."**

  
"Why were you in such a hurry?" Pan asked and Grover winced. He didn't knew what to say. How can he tell Pan about his absence and subsequent fading?

**"How old is he?"**

**"Oh, twenty-six**.

Many nodded at that. Satyrs and Nymphs grew very slowly. 

  
**"What! And he's in sixth grade with the children of 11-12 age group?"**

**"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."**

  
More nods.

  
**"That's horrible."**

**"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."**

  
Tyche frowned. The Satyr had every right to seek his dreams. If he really tried hard, she might aid him and wish him luck.   
Pan frowned as well. A bit training will help the Satyr. His friends should encourage him.

Past Chiron frowned. He always encouraged his students to be better but to try and deny someone their dreams was..

Future Chiron grimaced at the looks he was getting. 

**"That's not fair," I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"**

All wanted to know. Especially Pan.

  
**Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?"**

  
More groans. They were irritated now.

**But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea-a tiny, hopeful fire-started forming in my mind**

"Oh dear" Many winced. Hades looked amused and Poseidon nervous. 

**Chiron," I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..."**

**"Yes, child?"**

**"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"**

"Oh, dear." Hermes murmured, but Apollo barely reacted. Athena just shook her head sadly.

Poseidon groaned.

**Chiron's expression darkened.**

**"Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind."**

  
"Please do!" Poseidon demanded. His children nodded in agreement. Traveling to underworld was hardly a good plan.

Fates snorted and Grover winced as did future Chiron. 

  
**"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"**

**"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."**

"At least explain the dangers of this plan and make the boy understand!!" Poseidon groused out and Chiron flushed. 

  
**I nodded, didn't wanted to make him more suspicious, and continued out tour**. 

Harpocrates snorted and others groaned.

**As we got closer to the woods, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.**

"Native Americans?" Demeter mused.

"The tribal clans of America" Clotho said. 

**Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."**

**"Stocked with what?" I asked. "Armed with what?"**

**"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"**

**"My own-?"**

**"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later."**

  
"Yes, he will need weaponry" Poseidon mused. But didn't his future self realized that his son needed one before. Especially one forged in the sea. Oh, well he will see now.

**I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights**

  
"Good" Ares commented and Athena and heroes nodded. Training is important for demigods.

  
**"Sword and spear fights?" I asked.**

**"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."**

" _Usually_?" Many repeated, training must be done properly. 

Future Chiron gently shrugged at that, teenagers were always moody and teen demigods even worse.

**Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.**

**"What do you do when it rains?" I asked.**

**Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird. "We still have to eat, don't we?" I decided to drop the subject.**

  
"

  
Why? That was a fair question? Harmonia asked and Chiron winced.

Grover told her that the borders were weather-resistant. Rain couldn't come inside.

  
**Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.**

  
"Huh?" Many asked confused. 

**Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).**

  
The Gods smiled at the description. Their future children would be happy there.

**In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.**

Chiron's eyes widened. He never saw her there, unless she wanted to see him.   
Hestia smiled realizing her presence. 

**The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.**

**"Zeus and Hera?" I guessed.**

  
The pair smiled at that. It sounded amazing. 

  
**"Correct," Chiron said.**

**"Their cabins look empty."**

**"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."**

Zeus looked baffled and Hera smiled, perhaps her husband finally saw the error of his ways. His brothers and children looked astonished as well. Zeus was known for his casanova ways.

**Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?** **Especially the** **cabin** **of Lord Zeus. From what the myths tell of him, he had the largest number of demigod children.**

"Hmph." Hera huffed. Zeus tried to control his expressions to not make her more angry. 

**I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.**

**It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor**.

"Mine then" Poseidon smiled as did his children. It sounded perfect. 

**I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that.**

**"** Why? It is his cabin, he will stay there." Poseidon asserted.

"Well, but we can't allow him to stay there until his claiming" Chiron nervously told him.

"Claiming?" All gods looked confused.

"The godly parents send a sign to announce the child's parentage. Only on that basis, a child is associated with that god. That is claiming. When the camp was established, it became the rule that only claimed children could stay at the cabins of their parents and unless the parents claim them, they will stay at the Hermes's cabin." Chiron explained. 

Gods looked baffled at that. But they comforted themselves with the thought that their future selves must have accepted and claimed the children soon. So, no worries. 

Grover and future Chiron flinched remembering the bad conditions of demigods before wars. And even after war.

**Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy."**

  
Poseidon cringed at the thought that his son was glad to move away from his cabin. Rhode comforted him as Zeus and Hades hid a snicker.

**Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.**

**Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.**

  
"Hmmm" Ares seemed troubled, from the description the girl seemed like one of his. But he never had demigod daughters.

  
**I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed.**

**"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here** **."**

Future Chiron remembered his kin the Party Ponies and saddened. Wild they might be, they were warriors who stood against Titans and Giants.

**"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."**

**He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am."**

**"But, shouldn't you be dead?"**

"I think we can agree that according to the boy, we should _all_ be dead." Hermes said to Apollo who shrugged.

**Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."**

**I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.**

  
Many snorted at that. Grover remembered how Percy had taught children sword-fighting and how they adored him. He hid a sardonic grin.

  
**"Doesn't it ever get boring?"**

**"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."**

"That's ... nice?" Enyo says, her voice lilted in question.

**"Why depressing?"**

**Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.**

  
Some snickers. 

**"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."**

  
"Hopefully she will give some answers" Eirene commented to Nemesis who groaned. 

  
**The blond girl I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.**

**When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled.**

Again snorts.

**I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.**

**"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"**

**"Yes, sir."**

**"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."**

**Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ? A caduceus.**

Hermes looked horrified at the description. His, must be, future cabin sounded wrong. It should be welcoming place for children. 

**Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.**

Now the whole council grimaced. Why was the place so packed? There was no way that Hermes could have this many children at once.

**Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.**

**"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."**

**He galloped away toward the archery range.**

**I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.**

"Poor kid." Apollo muttered.

**"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."**

**So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself. There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.**

Many winced and many snorted at the same time. "Relatable." Bellerophone mumbled. 

**Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven.**

**"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.**

**I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."**

**Everybody groaned.**

"What a warm welcome." Enyo sighs and Hermes grimaced.

"What do they mean?" Athena asked.

"Regular is a child of Hermes and undetermined is an unclaimed child" Chiron explained. 

**A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."**

  
"A spot?" Hermes thundered.

"W-Well there-there was no space for bed" Grover stuttered.

The Gods looked confused. Just how many children were there?

**The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash**.

Hermes grinned. From the description, it sounded like one of his sons. But then he frowned remembering the scar. Why was his son injured like that.?

Grover paled as did future Chiron.

**"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for no** w.

Aphrodite cooed. Finally some love.  
Grover grimaced and the figure stiffened. Future Chiron flinched. 

**"For now?" I asked.**

**"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."**

"That doesn't sound like a very good system." Athena noticed. Hermes grimaced.

**I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.**

**I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.**

"Which they probably were." muttered Apollo remembering the theft of his cows by Hermes.

**"How long will I be here?" I asked.**

**"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."**

**"How long will that take?"**

**The campers all laughed.**

  
"A Fair question? " Athena looked appalled. Once again Chiron flushed under the stars but he did stood up to answer-

"Actually, in future, since Gods went in hiding the demigods live a harder life. Many times as it happened that the Gods didn't claimed their children. So all of such children remain at Hermes's cabin."

The whole assembly looked appalled. To not claim a child was unacceptable. Even if they didn't interfere in the lives of their children they always kept an eye and aided in one way or other. Their children were given their names proudly. The past demigods looked horrified. It was their godly parents whose acceptance gave them strength. To think that their future siblings would be denied that was horrible.

"Poor kids." Dionysus murmured, remembering his life before he had been claimed and changed by Zeus. 

Hades continued 

**"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court."**

**"I've already seen it."**

**"Come on." She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.**

" They shouldn't laugh. He is a complete stranger to all of this" Hestia frowned. 

Chiron winced at that. He should have explained better to Percy. 

**When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."**

**"What?"**

**She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."**

Grover flinched as did Chiron. How did they never realized her manipulative behavior?

Poseidon and others frowned. The boy had every right to be confused.

**"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"**

**"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"**

**"To get killed? To watch their parents killed before them?"**

Many winced. The girl was being rude and the boy was grieving. 

Chiron wished he had never allowed her to meet Percy. 

**"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"**

"To survive, I believe" Theasus muttered and others nodded. Training was to survive. Future Chiron flinched guiltily. He should have noticed signs. Her thirst for glory and respect. For acknowledgement. He failed his students.

**I tried to calm down. It won't do to snap at her. I just couldn't explain why I felt so wary around her. But snapping would be bad**.

Many nodded frowning at this. Grover held a wince and Chiron a grimace.

**I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..."**

**"Yes."**

**"Then there's only one."**

"Praise the gods" Theasus muttered and Poseidon grimaced remembering the creation of the beast.

**"Yes."**

**"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..."**

Orion nudged Theasus at that. Theasus gave a strained smile.

**"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."**

“That clears things up.” Orion said and Theasus snorted along with Bellerophone, rolling their eyes at the odd wording. 

**"Oh, thanks. That clears it up** **"**

Orion grinned as did his brothers. Poseidon looked amused. 

**"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."**

**I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"**

**"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."**

  
"

  
How did she knew about the fury?" Athena asked

Grover told her that Percy talked in his sleep sometimes.

  
**"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"**

**"You talk in your sleep."**

  
Some snickered.

**"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"**

  
Hades raised his brows. So the boy wasn't a complete ignoramus.

**Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."**

  
Hades snorted at that. His brothers shared an exasperated look.

 **"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. I need answers."Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there**."

All nodded. They were all fair queries.

 **I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent.** "

  
**She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.**

**"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."**

**"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad.**

  
"Hardly a time to discuss that. He didn't knew at that time." Eros muttered to Adrestia.

  
**"He's dead. I never knew him."**

**Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead, Percy."**

  
"No he isn't." Hermes began.

" Just absent." Demeter finished.

  
**"How can you say that? You know him?"** **I couldn't believe that. To think that my father was alive all those times when** **I** **begged for someone to save me was incomprehensible.**

Poseidon flinched. 

**"No, of course not."**

**"Then how can you say—"**

**"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."**

  
“And he’s definitely one of us.” Hermes sighed. “Unless Poseidon blessed any mortals to control, breath under, and be healed by water.”

**"You don't know anything about me."**

**"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."**

  
"Now, now! Embarrassing someone is not nice" Eirene chided and Eris nodded.

**"How—"**

**"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."**

**I tried to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"**

“Poor kid.” Eirene sighed, her lips pressing together.

**"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes**. 

Heroes nodded at that. They might not understand the terms, they did understand reflexes.

**In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are**."

**"You sound like ... you went through the same thing?"**

“Ah, he’s finally getting the point of conversation.” Philotes sighed.

**"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."**

Apollo grimaced at that. He remembered the way the girl almost choked the hero.


	19. The Strife

**Sorry, the chapter was too long to finish. I have altered some parts of the story in this chapter. I didn't liked how it was handled. It was too gross for me. So,** **I** **changed it to what** **I** **wanted it to** **be** **. Please comment and let me know your thoughts**.

Hades continued -

**"Ambrosia and nectar?"**

**"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."**

"Now, forcing to accept might backfire" Hygeia chided.

**A half-blood.** **My father was alive. He was a god. He left me and my mother with that ...that.. He was alive and my mother was dead. My mother knew this. She hid this from me. I am a** **God's** **child. I am..** **I** **am..**

  
With every word Poseidon cringed and the Gods looked down.

**I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.**

**"** From the beginning" Adrestia mumbled and her siblings looked shaken.

**Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"**

" Now what?" Enyo groaned. 

**I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.**

  
Ares perked up at that. He had felt the girl familiar.

**"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"**

**"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."**

**'** **'Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."**

"Of course it is. How rude!" Athena grumbled. 

  
Grover bleated nervously. Chiron looked appalled. All others frowned.

**"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she should follow through on the threat. However, to me it seemed as if she was more amused than angry**. 

Ares smirked at that, this sounded interesting. 

**Now, I don't know why, but the new girl's presence made me angry. As if I was feeling compelled to be furious. Her aura seemed to affect me.**

Ares frowned at that, this was new. Was she his daughter? But he never had mortal daughters before, at least demigod once.

  
**She turned toward me. "Who's this little runt?"**

**"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."**

All stared at Ares, who looked smug. So, she was his. Wonderful, she sounded strong. She seems to have inherited his gifts of rage.

  
Again there was a blast of light, as the room dimmed there stood a buff-looking girl, probably in her last teenage years. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision as others stared at her. Grover rushed to her, before anyone could say a word. He kept whispering to her, who first looked angry, then surprised, then outraged and lastly saddened. She too stared at the silent figure with a mourning and guilty gaze. But she nodded to Grover.

  
Finally the girl turned and bowed-  
"My lords and ladies! I am Clarisse La Rue. A daughter of Ares, Counselor of Ares Cabin."

Ares grinned at her, making her look shocked. Her godly sisters grinned as well as her godly brother smirked. Ares created a seat for her by his side as she settled with her sisters.

**I blinked, trying to clear my mind. "Like ... the war god?"**

Ares frowned as fates snickered. Clarisse paled remembering the fight. Grover paled remembering the battles between Clarisse and Percy.

**Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"**

**"No," I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the your mean presence ." I don't remember most myths, but** **I** **remembered that many Gods saw Ares as rival.**

  
Ares frowned as did many Gods. Ares might be mischievous but he kept himself in check. As a war god, he tried to control his rage around others.

Clarisse groaned. At that time she hadn't realized but she had inherited her father's gifts of emotion control.

**Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."**

**"Percy."**

**"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."**

  
"This doesn't sounds good" Harmonia whispered to Eros who felt troubled. Many of his father's children inherited his temper and acted according to their moods. While children of Poseidon were rebellious by birth. It was a bad combination.

Ares smirked and Poseidon grimaced. Clarisse grimaced as well, remembering her embarrassing moments.

**"Clarisse—" Annabeth tried to say.**

  
**"** **Stay out of it, wise girl."**

**Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.**

  
"That's true" Heracles muttered remembering his own days among his age-group. 

**I** **handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom**.

  
This made many worried. Ares smirked again as did Phobos and Deimos.

 **I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She was dragging me into the girls' bathroom. And** **I** **knew** **that** **I** **didn't wanted to go there. I had many fights with bullies to realize her idea. And** **I** **didn't wanted to be dunked in a toilet**.

All looked appalled, except Ares who burst out laughing. Poseidon groaned. Clarisse wished she could have smacked some sense in her younger self.

**Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.**

**"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she kept pushing me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."**

Hestia frowned disapprovingly, as did many other.

  
**Sadly** **for** **her, this comment gave me the strength** **I** **needed. Her words about Minotaur reminded me of my mother's death. I stopped thrashing and stood my ground. My rage building with her taunts. Every word and push making me angrier**.

Many winced at that. Clarisse flinched. She never meant that. She didn't knew about his mother at that time. It was many years later that she was told of the full incident of fight. She just wanted to harass him. Not to mock his mother's death.

The lake grumbled and spluttered. The clenched fists of the hero were making others nervous.

**Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach, the waves roared in my ears. I heard the water rumble, the lake shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the lake, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the ground with Clarisse screaming behind me.**

Ares and his godly children frowned and Clarisse groaned in her palms.

**It was only when I stood up that** **I** **realized that** **I** **had repeated my school incident. The lake water had grabbed Clarisse and her friends and dragged them to lake. They were there soaked and shivering in the lake, as** **I** **stood completely dry. Even Annabeth wasn't spared. The lake water had drowsed her as well, but at least she remained out of the lake**. 

Clarisse screamed in shock as she was completely drenched. She would have lunged at the silent figure, had Grover didn't restrained her to explain the side-effects of the books. She mumbled threats as her equally upset father spelled her dry.

Poseidon looked smug as his sons grinned remembering their own pranks. Others exchanged amused glances, while many snickered. 

**I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole field. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.**

The listeners looked amazed. For a complete amateur, he was pretty strong. 

**I stood up, my legs shaky.**

" Well you were still healing and that was quite a feat" Hygeia muttered 

**Annabeth said, "How did you ..."**

**"I don't know."**

“Damn.” Eris murmured, her eyes wide as Enyo mumbled her own shock.

Even Poseidon looked worried. At the age of eleven, without any previous training, his son made the lake react in that manner. It just screamed power.

**We walked to the lake. By the shore, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like algae. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."**

Ares nodded. There will be retribution. 

**I probably should have let it go, but her aura hit me again with her words, and I said, "You want to gargle with lake water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."**

Many shook their heads and Poseidon looked troubled. Letting the aura of others to affect oneself was dangerous. One never knew how to react in such cases.

**Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.**

**Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.**

“It was probably a bit of both.” Adrestia muttered and Enyo chuckled. 

**"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?"** **Her calculating eyes made me wary.**

**"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."**


	20. First Night

**I need your comments guys. Just let me know if you are ok with the changes** **I** **have made**.

Hades handed the book to Demeter, who sneered at him, but began reading -  
 **Chapter-7 - My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke**

Some stared at Chiron, who told them after burnt offerings for Gods. Many nodded approvingly. It was nice to know that their rituals continued.

**Word of the lake incident spread immediately. Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet.**

Clarisse wrinkled her nose, looking as if the memory of being covered in water was still fresh in her mind. But perhaps that was due to her recent doused state.

  
Some snickered at the mental image. 

**S** **he showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords** ), 

Hephaestus perked up.

  
**the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man** ),

Pan grinned at that.

**and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough**.

Heroes nodded approvingly. Training was necessary. 

**Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.**

**"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."**

**"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the lake." And** **I** **really was. I never meant to hurt her or anyone. I just wanted Clarisse to stop**. 

  
Hestia smiled at that, as did many others. At least he apologized.   
Clarisse grimaced.

**"Whatever** **"**

This made all aware of the girl's mood.

**"It wasn't my fault."**

**She looked at me skeptically, and I realized it was my fault. I'd made water shoot out of the lake. I didn't understand how. But the lake had responded to me. I had become one with it.**

Many looked awed while Poseidon felt troubled. His sons were always strong, but this was really new. He never had a demigod son this strong at such a young age.

**"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said**.

Apollo smiled at that. He adored his oracles. 

**"Who?"**

"The speaker of my prophecies." Apollo commented smugly. Heroes groaned. None had any good news from Oracles.

**"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron**

"What? What does she mean by what? What happened to my Oracles?" Apollo demanded and Chiron flinched. He remembered what had happened to maiden who became Oracle. And the curse that haunted later candidates. 

Other guests from future winced as well. It would be really bad when Apollo found out about what had happened to his Oracles. He was very protective of them.

Fates asked Apollo to wait. That it will come later. Apollo grumbled but settled. 

**I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once.**

  
Many nodded. They were also irritated by confusing talks and incidents. 

**I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend.**

  
"Well they must have recognized you." Poseidon mused and his children smiled. All of them adored sea and water spirits. 

  
**I didn't know what else to do. I waved back.**

**"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."**

"Being polite is not wrong " Triton muttered. He was irritated by this girl. 

**"Naiads," I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."** **As** **I** **said that,** **I** **felt punched in gut. I have no home anymore. My mother was gone and my father....** **I** **really don't know what to think of him.**

Poseidon flinched and Hestia shot him a sympathetic look.

**What would Gabe say if** **I** **showed up at the doorstep? I don't think** **that** **he would be pleased. Especially after his car. It would be a miracle if my body remained intact after he got a chance with me.**

Many flinched and Poseidon started muttering threats. He will take care of that thing one way or other. None harmed his children without retaliation. 

**Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."**

**"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"**

"Hey" Clarisse began only to quiet down at the look fates shot her. Grover had told her of fates's decision and Percy's past. As one of those who betrayed him, she had no right to say anything unless he himself speak to her first. She looked down sadly, thinking of her lost friends. Her siblings exchanged worried looks.

**"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."**

**"Half-human and half-what?"**

"Denial won't help anymore." Heracles muttered and Perseus agreed. Both knew what happened if you deny your reality. 

**"I think you know."**

**I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad.** **I wanted to deny so badly. To not think of the person who left us in that situation. But it won't aid me.**

**"God," I said. "Half-god."**

**"** Finally " Theasus muttered and his father grimaced. He didn't like to hear about the mistakes of his future self. 

**Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."**

**"That's ... crazy."**

**"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"**

“If they had, you wouldn’t be here.” Apollo commented. And Hermes snorted.

**"But those are just—" I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids here are half-gods—"**

**"Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."**

**"Then who's your dad?"**

Clarisse clenched her lips together, shifting her eyes from side to side in an awkward way. She and other campers knew of Ann..her past. That's why many of them were more sympathetic to her. But she...she took advantage of their feelings. 

**Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.**

  
Gods frowned. 

**"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."**

"So her mother is a goddess" Athena muttered and Grover winced. He was afraid to think of the godesses's reaction when they read her daughter's deeds.

**"He's human."**

**"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"**

“To be fair, there is, on average, more children from male gods than female gods. Especially Olympians, seeing as how most of them have sworn off men and became eternal maidens.” Hestia said softly. 

"Many other kids thought so too in the beginning. Since most myths were about children of Gods, not goddesses. " Chiron agreed 

**"Who's your mom, then?"**

**"Cabin six."**

  
"And how is he supposed to know what that means? He is completely new?" Athena snapped, tired of girl's snobbish behavior. 

Grover winced and fates held back a snort.

**"Meaning**?"

**Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."**

  
Athena looked appalled at that. Poseidon snickered.

**Okay, I thought. Why not?** **I tried to not think of the fact that Athena was famous for her oath of** **maiden hood**.

  
"She is a maiden. Her children are born of her thoughts." Artemis explained to others at their bewilderment. Though they had heard of Athena's children, most thought that she either adopted them or blessed infertile women. 

**"And my dad?**

  
**"Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows."**

  
"How come they didn't realize his parentage is confusing. The boy looks like his father and had control of water" Nemesis frowned.

**"Except my mother. She knew."** **Of that** **I** **was sure.**

So was Poseidon. The woman did knew of him. Now why did she hid that from their child was baffling.

**"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."**

**"My dad would have."** **I wanted to believe that he did. The manner my mother spoke** **of** **him showed her affection for him. I really don't know how would** **I** **react if he did hid his identity while having a relationship with my mother. It would be too much of a fraud for me to ever believe him**.

Many grimaced. This was a troubling thought for many. Poseidon hoped that his future self did introduced himself to the woman, just to not give his child another reason to despise him.

**Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens.”**

"Sometimes?" The council looked curious as Demeter continued horrified-

**"You mean sometimes it doesn't?** "

"What?" All frowned. Grover and Chiron winced. Clarisse kept her head down, refusing to react to looks her father shot her.

**Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."**

  
"That is not possible?" Heroes looked troubled. Their divine heritage was their identity, their support, their guidance. Without it they would be completely lost.

The Gods looked terrified. To deny their children their own name! It was unthinkable. 

**I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better.**

All flinched. If it was true then the future was far worse than anyone thought possible. To forget their children, to deny them their parentage, their identity was inexcusable. 

Future Chiron thought of his students who lost themselves in their quest for identity. How many of them did that? How many swore themselves to Kronos just because they wanted to be noticed?

Grover sniffled and Clarisse hid her tears as their companions looked horrified.

**"So I'm stuck here," I said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"** **So, unless and until, my father thought** **I** **was important enough to be noticed** **I** **would be stuck in that** **overcrowded** **cabin, waiting for a sign, that might** **never** **come. And considering his past behavior regarding my existence, it might happen that I have completely slipped from his mind.**

Gods flinched. Poseidon looked horrified. 

Zeus demanded answer and Chiron finally stood up, with a nod from fates. He addressed the assembly-

"As Gods went into hiding, they tried to ignore mortal affairs. Though they still had affairs with mortals, many hid their identities from them. And they started a camp for their children to be trained with me as their instructor. And we employed Satyrs as our searchers for demigods. However, many times Gods either forgot or completely refused to accept or acknowledge their children. Besides, since their is no cabin for minor Gods, many of their children are also left in Hermes cabin. Those children are also not claimed, since there was no other cabin for them to be housed."

"Why didn't anyone appealed then? You should have came to the council and pleaded your case about demigods?" Athena asked 

Chiron grimaced at that. He had tried that, but due to the deeds of Roman's, and the loss of Greece, Gods had became for too stubborn. 

Finally Clarisse took charge of the discussion and answered - 

"Efforts were made and finally the things changed. Now, we are making cabins for all deities and all children are being claimed and trained. A hero made you all consider our situation and you agreed with providing better facilities for us."

"Which hero? "Apollo mumbled. He knew how stubborn his family could be, no weak or simple hero could make them change. 

At that Clarisse paled and shared a look with Grover. Grover took a glance at the furious expression of others and simply pointed toward the figure by the side of fates.

All stared surprised, Poseidon looked equally awed but worried. 

Fates nodded to Demeter to make her continue -

**"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force**. 

Said Goddesses frowned at that. Clarisse winced thinking of Silena and Katie.

**The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble—about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that**."

Gods flinched. Their lack of care made their children suffer. 

**"So monsters can't get in here?"**

**Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."**

**"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"**

Gods were baffled and Clarisse remembered the hellhound, the drakon and other monsters. 

**"Practice fights. Practical jokes."**

**"Practical jokes?"**

Hermes grimaced. Summoning monsters was no joke.

**"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."**

**"So ... you're a year-rounder?"**

**Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.**

Clarisse fingered the beads to the silver pendent that hung around her own neck. Her hand catched the ring Chris had given him as promise ring and she closed her eyes in contentment. Ares frowned and Aphrodite smiled at the emotion of love she felt. She could feel her aura around the girl. Had she blessed her in future?

**I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college.** "

Athena frowned at that. From her listenings, she felt that her daughter was far too young to come for training. 

**"Why did you come so young?"**

Athena also wanted to know.

**She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business** **"**

Athena frowned and Clarisse grimaced. So she had started her games. First, she will tempt them by making them curious and then she will gather their sympathy at their troubled moments. 

**"Oh." I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"**

"And where would you go?" Orion demanded. 

**"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless ..."**

  
"Thankfully " Theasus muttered. He could understand his brother's restlessness, but now wasn't a good time to leave. He wasn't trained and had no safe place to go.

**"Unless?"**

**"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ..."**

**Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.**

“Why, what happened the last time?” Ares asked and Clarisse flinched. 

**"Back in the sick room," I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff—"**

**"Ambrosia."**

**"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."**

All stiffened. All could tell that something bad had happened. But what?

**Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?"**

**"Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"**

“I swear to Chaos, why do these people don’t start speaking without riddles.” Enyo hissed, knocking her head against Nemesis.

**She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."**

**"You've been to Olympus?"**

**"Some of us year-rounders—Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others—we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."**

"They did a trip to Olympus!" The past heroes looked baffled. The only reason they were invited so that their presence might hinder the Gods from declaring another war against each other. 

**"But... how did you get there?"**

**"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. EmpireState Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at me like she was sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right**?"

  
"He is new" Athena muttered trying to ward off her headache.

**"Oh, sure." As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out.**

Some snickered. Athena grimaced. Poseidon hid a smirk.

**"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean— Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something.** "

"How will he? He just got there." Chiron grumbled. He really shouldn't have let her give Percy a tour. 

**I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions**.

Many could relate to that. Talking with Athena and her children could be troubling.

  
**"I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem ..."**

  
"Far too confident?" Artemis commented and Athena sighed. The girl had her pride. This could make her go wrong if she failed to control herself. 

**I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan.**

"She might have been." Many muttered. Athena was the same after all.


	21. Quite before the Storm

**Here we go**.

Demeter continued-

**Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers**. 

"And they are Hermes's children then?" Apollo enquired and Grover nodded.   
Hermes beamed.

**Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my minotaur horn**. **Sadly there was no extra space to spread my legs as there were many** **bedding** **on the floor. It was rather hard to walk without climbing on one.**

And promptly went back to wincing. Honestly, just how did his future self didn't expanded the space was beyond him.  
Other deities also shared the same thoughts. 

**The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact.**

  
Hermes grinned but inside he wondered about the scar. Clarisse hid a grimace.

**"Found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."**

**I couldn't tell if he was kidding about the stealing part.**

“Probably not.” Apollo commented staring at Hermes who grinned.

**I said, "Thanks."**

**"No prob." Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"**

**"I don't belong here," I said. "I don't even believe in gods."** **It is kind of hard to believe in Gods and heroes when your prayers remains unanswered. I have lost count of the names of deities** **I** **prayed to for safety from Gabe and..**

**Let's just say, they** **were** **ignored by the Gods, about whose existence I just learned. I tried to not think of my fa...my biological donor as well**.

Demeter winced as she read. All heroes winced. Others tried to not look at Poseidon who looked slapped. 

**"Yeah," he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."**

  
Hermes frowned and Grover winced.  
Chiron wondered should he make a list of students he failed. 

**The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easy going guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything**

It surprised everyone. Hermes tried to catch the eye of future Chiron who refused to look in his direction. 

  
**"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.**

**He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut me** , 

All stiffened 

**but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes**."

**"The wing-footed messenger guy**

Hermes looked stunned as his siblings laughed. 

**"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."**

  
Hermes looked sad. He just tried to accommodate all who came to him. Apollo tried to soothe him.

**I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. Probably.He just had a lot on his mind.**

Clarisse held back a snort. 

**"You ever meet your dad?" I asked.**

**"Once."**

**I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had anything to do with how he got his scar**

"What?" Hermes shouted in horror , as Grover rushed to explain that it wasn't like that. That he wasn't responsible for that injury. 

**Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other.** "

Grover winced and Clarisse held another snort. She settled for a grimace.

**He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him—even if he was a counselor—should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He stood with me , though I am sure that he must be busy, and tried to make me better. He didn't snapped or taunted. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day.**

Grover looked ready to sob.

**I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth ... twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"**

Athena also wanted to know. 

**Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies."**

"We all do" Heroes commented mentally as Apollo looked ready to lecture. 

Artemis calmed him down.

**"What do you mean?"**

Athena and Poseidon looked very worried. 

**His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. To prove herself and all that. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... somebody special came to the camp."**

"So that's why she thought that any newcomer would be her glory ?" Clarisse mumbled as her siblings watched in confusion.

Chiron wondered should he have never told her that?

**"Somebody special?"** **Was that why she was in healing room, by my side? To get a quest? But** **I** **am completely new to all of this.**

Athena frowned and Grover grimaced remembering An..her bossy ways to newcomers.

**"Don't worry about it, kid," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."**

  
Athena frowned about her daughter's habits.

**The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I'd never heard one before.**

"It's related to sea" Many muttered. Poseidon smiled. 

**Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"**

" My boy! What a leader!" Hermes boasted as his siblings shared exasperated looks. 

**The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down.**

"Mine then?" Artemis looked at Clarisse who nodded.   
The huntresses grinned.

**We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods— and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill** **.**

The spirits smiled at the description. 

  
**In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.**

Grover grimaced remembering the numbers of losses they suffered in war.

**At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off** **.**

Hermes winced. He would have to do better. Perhaps he should make a list for changes.

**I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centau** r.

Chiron smiled at that comment, but saddened as he remembered the fate of Dionysus's twins.

Dionysus perked up at the description of his children. Clarisse hid a wince. Ares frowned at that.

**Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair.**

Athena smiled at the description. 

**Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and pushing right alongside her friends** **.**

Clarisse grimaced remembering what had happened to many of her siblings. Her godly siblings shared looks.

**Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"**

Gods looked happy at that.

**Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"**

**Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want—nonalcoholic, of course** **.**

  
"Nice magic" Hecate praised and Morpheus snorted.

**I said, "Cherry Coke."**

**The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid.**

**Then I had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke."**

“There he go.” Hestia sighed as did Poseidon, but there was a small sad smile on their lips.

**The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt.**

**I took a cautious sip. Perfect.**

**I drank a toast to my mother.**

  
All mothers shared sad looks. Poseidon looked down.

**She's not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She's in the Underworld. And if that's a real place, then someday...**

  
All winced. Poseidon and his children groaned as Hades looked amused. 

**"Here you go, Percy," Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket**.

Pan made a face at the mention of the meat. 

**I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something**.

Grover and Clarisse snorted. Percy and his sweet tooth. 

**"Come on," Luke told me** **,** **murmuring in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."**

**As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll**

  
Gods looked glad. At least their children remembered the olden ways.

**"You're kidding."**

  
Some look affronted.

**H**

  
**is look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.** **Besides as they are Gods, can't they just summon whatever they wish to eat. Why burning food?**

Many nodded at the boy's question. As a stranger to their ways, he had rights to be inquisitive.

Hestia explained -

" _Holokautein_ (ὁλοκαυτεῖν) is one of the two chief verbs of Greek sacrifice, in which the victim is utterly destroyed and burnt up, as opposed to _thúesthai_ (θύεσθαι), to share a meal with the god and one's fellow worshippers, _commensal_ sacrifice. In the latter, the edible parts of the sacrificed animal were roasted and distributed for festive celebration, whereas the inedible parts were burned on the altar, those being the god's share. Although not actually _obliged_ to do so, Greeks would rather sacrifice a domestic animal to a god or hero and then proceed to use its flesh as food than simply consume it without a sacrifice, as animals were thought of as sharing in the sanctity of life, in addition to their secular usefulness (milk, eggs, ploughing).

It is a form of respect. As it shows your gratitude to Deities. "

  
Demeter continued as others nodded.

**Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."**

**I was next.**

**I wished I knew what god's name to say.**

  
"Soon" Poseidon muttered " it better be soon."

The future guests grimaced as they remembered the claiming of Percy.

**Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me. Please.**

  
"I will" Poseidon swore.

**I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames.**

  
Poseidon smiled at that.

**When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag.**

Hestia smiled. 

**It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke.**

  
"

  
No, but that's worth a try " Hermes mused as Apollo glared making him rethink the plan.

**When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.**

**Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."**

**A bunch of cheering rose from the Ares table**.

Ares and his children grinned as Clarisse grimaced remember the next game.

**"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."**

Chiron face palmed, shaking his head. Others looked amused. 

**Chiron murmured something.**

**"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."**

  
**Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. For these peaceful moments, I felt that I was home**.

Apollo grinned at the mention of his children.   
Others smiled at the last line. Finally, the boy relaxed.

 **Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag.**

"Yes you need rest" Apollo mumbled and Hygeia nodded.

 **My fingers curled around the Minotaur's horn. I thought about my mom, but I tried to think good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite**.

The listeners smiled sadly.

 **When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly**.

"Thank Morpheus " Poseidon mumbled. Perhaps with time his son will be relaxed enough to not try to rescue his mother.

 **That was my first day at Camp Half-Bloo** d. **I wish I'd known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new hom** e.

All grimaced. What a note to finish the chapter!


	22. The Claiming

**So, please continue your comments. It keeps me going.**

Demeter was going to pass the book to Hestia, but fates signaled towards Poseidon. All felt confused, but none wanted to question them. So Poseidon began -

**Chapter-8- We Capture a Flag**

All future guests, except the figure by fates, grimaced. All remembered the incident and the attack. None were looking forward to experience that.

 **The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centau** r.

Said centaurs shook their heads as their other students snickered.

**Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache.**

  
"Homer" Oddessyus mused.

Grover explained a bit about his Poetry and works.

**The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow. He didn't complain, even when he had to snag a stray arrow out of his tail.**

Many snickered at that as future Chiron groaned and past Chiron paled. Sea siblings shared a look. Most of them were not good at archery. However, Orion felt a bit disappointed. He was looking forward to a practice session with his brothers. He wanted to invite his future brother as well, so that they might make any progress in their attempts to help him. But now the plan seem a bit hopeless. 

**Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it.**

Nymphs smirked at that.

**They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree**.

Now they outright laughed as said Gods blushed.

**And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me.**

Ares smirked at that and his children grinned. 

**"There's more where that came from, punk," she'd mumble in my ear.**

Poseidon grimaced at the smug look of Ares.

**The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur**.

Some sardonic grins.

**I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it.**

Gods groaned at that. They had to do much in the future. 

**I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids,**

**"** Hah" Ares boasted and Clarisse grimaced. 

**or as good at archery as the Apollo kids.**

**"** Sadly" Orion muttered as Theasus nudged him.

**I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork**

"Not many does" Hephaestus mumbled as he continued working on a new project. 

**or—gods forbid— Dionysus's way with vine plants.**

Dionysus snorted. 

**Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either.**

Hermes also didn't knew what to make of that statement. His siblings frowned as well and Grover winced. 

**Despite all that, I liked camp.**

Poseidon felt relief. At least it was a good sign.

**I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night**.

Many smiled at that.

**I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad.**

Poseidon felt shocked. Why was his future self refusing to acknowledge his child?  
Chiron again tried to ignore all burning looks from the sea God. 

**Nothing came. Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. Sadly it gave me no assurance about his probable acceptance of me. Besides, the memories of his smile might be nothing more than a illusion or hallucination. Since,** **I** **can't say anything for sure**. **I hoped that he remembered me. But the way things were, especially with the situation of other campers,** **I** **probably was thinking too much.**

Poseidon felt his heart clench. The other deities shared mournful looks.

**Not that it was something new. As far as I knew, I only had one proper parent, my mother. And she...**

Poseidon flinched. 

**I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back**....

Poseidon wondered where had he gone wrong. His son was harmed, abused, manipulated and alone. He couldn't help. And now even the mother was gone. His son was planning to descend into Underworld. What exactly was his future self thinking? How had he ignored his child to this extent?

“This will lead to nowhere good.” Theasus predicted.

“He will only get hurt .” Orion whispered, shaking his head.

**In only three days,** **I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father,**   
**Hermes.**

Hermes and Poseidon both flinched. Others exchanged worried looks. Perhaps the ancient laws need to be redrawn, if it caused more harm to their children 

**So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear?**

None dared to look at the gloomy Poseidon. Hestia was thinking how to broach the subject of ancient laws with Zeus.

**Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.**

Hermes perked up.

**We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good**.

Others nodded. Many remembered his first attempt at swordplay. Perhaps it was a sign of his prowess in it.

**The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me.**

"Hmmm" Poseidon mused. So, his guess was right. His son would need a sea-forged sword.

**We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time.**

Many straightened. Training of a new hero was a memorable moment. 

**Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."**

Hermes cheered. 

**"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said**

Ares smirked. 

Athena commented- " But then it would be hard for you to learn anything."

**The camper snorted.**

"Can't blame them." Nemesis muttered at the offended look of Eirene.

**Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!**

Apollo frowned as marks and bruises appeared on the arms of the figure.   
Some were quite deep, blue and black, filling the whole space of arms.

**By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same.**

Suddenly the bruises dimmed and the figure looked energized. Apollo frowned at these changes. 

**Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward.**

“Wait, how does that works?” Deimos asked. “He can just get stronger by drinking some water?”

“Just you wait.” Clarisse sighed her temple throbbing.

Poseidon also looked baffled. Water did energized his children, but most needed sea water or at least salty water  
f

or that.

**"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."**

"Oh this will be good!" Deimos snickered along with his brother. 

**Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded.**

Grover hid a grin, remembering what exactly had happened.

Sea siblings frowned. 

**The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapo** n

"It is a good technique " Ares commented. 

"But not one that is taught to a beginners" Athena warily finished. 

Poseidon frowned. 

**"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."**

"That's true" Deimos muttered and Phobos nodded. 

**He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.**

"Nicely done" Apollo mumbled to Hermes who grinned. 

**"Now in real time," he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?**

"I don't think that he could do that easily" Theasus muttered and Bellerophone nodded, worried. 

**I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force.**

"Hmmm" Eris looked troubled as did Enyo. The boy was instigating strife.

**The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck?**

"What are you trying ?" Triton mumbled and his father answered -

**I tried the disarming maneuver** **.**

**"** No harm in trying " Adrestia commented as Ares frowned. 

**My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust.**

**Clang** **!**

Poseidon looked stunned as he read on  
-

**Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch from his undefended chest.**

Silence. Athena and Ares looked stunned.

**The other campers were silent** **.**

As were others. To learn and apply a trick by only learning it once was a great achievement. Hermes was the most surprised one. Poseidon grinned 

**I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry."**

"No need to apologize. A true warrior accepts loss" Ares grunted and Athena nodded. 

**For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.**

Clarisse snorted finding the moment very entertaining. There was a dark look in her eyes that was hidden by her lowered gaze.

**"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"**

" Good sportsmanship " Nike praised and Philotes nodded.

**I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted.**

"Well he would have, won't he?" Clarisse grumbled and Grover winced. 

**This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor**.

"Well he is still learning" Theasus consoled his pouting brothers.

**After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"**

" Well there is that" Tyche agreed at the questioning look of others.

**Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ."**

The fates smirked and Grover hid a grin. Clarisse also hid a grin.

  
**Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms**.

The singed forearms of the figure made fates snort.

**We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D.**

  
Pan looked curious. Grover paled remembering the scolding.

**His face turned a sickly shade of yellow.**

  
As did now.

**"Fine," he said. "Just great** **.**

Pan frowned at the pale look of his Satyr.

**"So your career's still on track?"**

**He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"**

Now all seemed curious. Chiron grimaced remembering the search of Satyrs for Pan.

**"Well... no." I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it** **?**

Grover held back a sob, remembering the fading of Pan. Pan looked really worried. 

**Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete.** "

Pan smiled at this .At least his friend was looking out for Satyrs. But where was he? Why didn't he helped his Satyr?

**My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"**

Eirene smiled.

**"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"**

"Have some faith" Philotes chided.

**"Of course I'd want you along!"**

Pan looked ready to bless the figure for his aid to Satyr.

**Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."**

**I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, I asked him about the questions that were bothering me the most, the four empty cabins** **.**

"Finally" Many breathed. All, except Hera, wanted to know about it.

**"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."**

  
"Besides her maidens stay there while visiting the camp" Chiron told the curious crowd.

**"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"**

  
The big three straightened at that.

**Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals.**

Hera nodded at that.

**That's her husband's job**. 

Many snorted. Hera glared at the apologizing Satyr. Zeus glared at his snickering brothers.

**When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."**

The deities nodded. 

**"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."**

The brothers nodded. 

**"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."**

More nods.

**"Zeus got the sky," I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld**.

"The best sphere" The sea siblings chorus and Poseidon grinned at his exasperated siblings. 

Zeus grumbled how his sphere was best. Hera shared suffering looks with Demeter and Hestia. 

**"Uh-huh."**

**"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."**

Hades’s brows furrow. “I doesn’t?”

Despite of his feuds with Zeus and Hera, and his enmity with Demeter, he had amiable relationships with others. All younger Olympians were civil to him and Poseidon and Hestia aided him against Zeus. 

Poseidon himself felt baffled. No matter their personal turmoil and beliefs, Hades was their brother. He deserved a cabin for his children. 

Zeus felt confused. Despite his exile to Underworld, Hades was still one of the elder Gods. His children were strong. His demigods children were on par of his children. He deserved a place for them to stay.

The enquiring gazes of deities made Chiron nervous. Grover stood up and informed the Gods that the situation has been taken care of and now there is cabins for all deities. 

Fates signaled Poseidon to continue.

**"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."**

“That’s.....” Zagerus murmured and Grover paled apologizing again.

**"But Zeus and Poseidon—they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"**

The brothers straightened, both wanted to know that. Hera glared at both.

**Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage**. 

All present Three Big children shifted uncomfortably at this while the others looked at them.

**World War II,**

I worry about the title." Harmonia muttered to Adrestia 

**you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx**."

  
The whole council went quiet. To swear to Styx was no petty thing. It meant determination to keep the promise. Those who broke an Oath on Styx paid dearly.

The elder Gods felt troubled. Why had this was made them change? Why did they took such an oath?

It was Clarisse who stood up and answered - 

"Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, a son of Zeus and Winton Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom a son of Poseidon were both leaders of the Allied Powers who stood against the Axis Powers, one of they leaders being Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany and a son of Hades." She said carefully while most of the gods flinched as did the pale demigods. Such a fight could destroy the world if Gods began to take sides.

"Adolf Hitler" She continued and Grover flinched "was highly displeased with the other gods and kind of also the fact that Lord Hades didn't do anything to punish them." 

Clarisse continued with a bitter smile at the pale looks of Hades and his children -

"He didn't understand why he let himself be exiled and didn't overthrow those who have wronged him to punish them." 

The elder gods, especially Zeus and Hera, looked again uncomfortable as Poseidon and Hestia glared at them; the words were hitting to close to home for they liking. 

"So he decided to do something himself, the symbol of his personal, most deadly bodyguards was the symbol of his father, the Helm of Darkness. He also decided to mock the gods who had wronged his father doing so as to get him also to finally act. And in doing this he mocked his father as well for his refusal to take notice of his children. "

"What do you mean?" Hades asked while exchanging glances with his siblings. 

"Hitler often used both the eagle and lightning as propaganda symbols for his beliefs and his reign, as a way to mock Gods." Clarisse grimaced while saying.

The Gods paled, it was unacceptable for a demigod to use symbols of other gods. Especially, it seems that this Hitler was mocking Zeus.

Zeus looked outraged and Hades troubled. Ares, worried about Clarisse, gestured her to remain quiet. It was Atropos who began her answer to worried Gods - 

"Hitler outraged on the behalf of his father and furious towards Gods for their indifference to mortal plights decided to wreck the western civilization that refused to honor his father. His worst deeds were the creation of 'The Death Camps'."

  
"The death camps?" Athena tensely asked.

"They were horrible places, used for the so called purging of German society from the so-called "racially undesirable elements" such as Jews, criminals, homosexuals, and Gypsies. They were brought there by trains, that is a transportation's vehicle used in the future to transport a large number of materials or people, but in these trains were the selected people from all around squeezed in and spent often days standing without food, water, bathrooms or even fresh air."

Hestia and Hygeia looked saddened at this. Apollo looked sick.

"After arrival they were let outside and separated, one line would be forced to work till they can't anymore or used for cruel experiments while the others were sent to either the gas chamber to suffocate or the crematorium to be burned alive, men, woman old and young, children not even infants were spared."

Many of the gods looked horrified at this while Hades sunk back into his throne at the thought what his son will do to finally get him to stand up against his family in future. 

"Those who lived and were made to work were starved, sicknesses of all types, lice and fleas the hygiene was nonexistent." Lachesis said bitterly while those of the past stared at them with horror filled eyes , some even looking green.

"True, they were all made to represent camp, the way they got there should be a symbol of the struggle a demigod experiences to reach the safety of the camp, the selection is that even if you get to camp there is still a chance that you will not survive while the hard labour stands for the training; as for the experiments…what do you think would happen if the world figures out that we still exist and manage to capture us? "

Ares looked stunned at his daughter who continued defiant, staring at the pale assembly and furious Zeus - 

"Mortals are always curious about the unknown. If we are captured, we will suffer worse than in the hands of monsters. And that was what happened. Some children were stolen from an orphanage, during the first world war. Some experiments were done on them, to create new weapons. Few of them were demigods. It caused the experimenters take notice of their differences from other children. A hunt for such children began. Many were captured. And as always, Gods refused to aid, content as they were in letting demigods fare on their own. Hitler heard of this in his days of war. He felt disgusted and outraged. He wanted Gods to notice and take actions. He wanted his father to rise against those who wronged him. He did all of that just to mock Gods and their laws."

Clarisse finished and the whole assembly looked sick. 

Clotho continued - 

"He wasn't the only one. Many demigods aided him. Even a son of Zeus and a daughter of Poseidon aided him, despite his mockery of their fathers. Many demigods played the roles of spies and advisor for him. Sons of Athena prepared plans and daughters of Aphrodite stole secrets. Not because they liked hurting others, but because they wanted the world to pay the price of hurting one of them. They were fed up with indifference of Gods and they took things in their own hands. Son of Apollo became his scientists and their sisters played the role of healers. Children of Hermes and Ares led traps and battles. Children of Demeter arranged food for soldiers. Sons of Dionysus excited the inner madness of people to make them lose reason. Children of minor Gods aided as well. Tired of being neglected, they decided to make the world notice them." 

All deities paled. Many looked slapped. None could believe that their actions will force their children upto this extent.

Chiron took over now - 

"But other than Hitler , the worst of them was the leading doctor of the Auschwitz camp Dr. Josef Mengele who had also been called the Angel of Death."

Gods trembled. None had the strength to listen more. But Chiron continued   
\-   
"A good looking and charming man with a love for Wagner's opera music, always dressed pristine, who selected who shall live or not, ordered cruel deaths with detachment, but if angered could act in a brutal manner, but that was not why he had been feared by both his victims and even his colleagues." 

Apollo felt sick that a doctor could do such harm.

"He was obsessed with one main theme of the genetic of humans, twins." Chiron said at which the present set of twins shuddered.

"He would send his men around and separated twins and bring them to a special facility part, he made sure that they had enough food, were spared from labour and beatings and even doted on them like a father would, those in that facility were even called 'Mengele's children', but the others fate would have been better for them. He was a twisted man who with time welcomed new victims with waltz music played by a prisoner's orchestra as not far hundreds were burned alive, he brought the term that love and death are quiet similar to a new level. He did many operations without anything that would stop the pain, castration and sterilization, removal of inner organs while the patient was strapped down and fully awake, injecting things into the eyes to see if they colour could be modified. As said most of his cruel tests were about how to control the birth of twins and for that he murdered thousands and in the end even escaped earthly judgement." 

Chiron told the past gods and heroes in a grave tone as he tried not to remember all the things he had read and witnessed. 

"In our time are there some books which have a good account about the Angel of Death who is for most still an enigma and in the eyes of his victims still out there even if it is impossible. One of them is ironically titled ' _Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele & the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz'_"

The whole council burst in uproar. Many rushed out to throw up. Those who remained looked haunted. To listen that their actions forced their children to this extent was unbearable. 

"Was he too a son of mine?" Hades enquired, tired and hurt.

"No, my lord." It was Grover who whimpered. " He was not one of yours. He...he was a son of Apollo. "

Apollo vanished. Artemis screamed. 

The pandora box opened. 


	23. The Victory

**Yes, time to finish it.**

The elder Gods sat stunned as their children looked astonished. None could believe their ears. Apollo was gone and Artemis looked terrified. Hades couldn't believe that one of his child could ever commit such monstrosities. Hebe cried loudly and Athena kept shaking her head in disbelief. Ares tried to calm his sobbing daughters as his sons covered Clarisse to hide her from any curses from the other gods. Poseidon looked aged beyond time as he wondered just how much his future self wronged their children. Hera kept muttering about the disposal of such insolent demigods, only to earn glares from her siblings. Hestia bowed her head in misery.

The mortal children of elder three huddled close to their old mentor. Terrified and scared they tried to calm themselves. The nature spirits sobbed along with Satyrs. Nemesis looked crestfallen and Eirene wailed in misery.   
Litae sisters looked morose. The hunters looked troubled with their screaming mistress.

Fates, watching the whole chaos, announced a break.

The deities miserably nodded. Artemis rushed out to find Apollo, Hermes and Athena chasing after her. Hades left with Persephone bringing their children with them. Poseidon looked at his sons and left to discuss with Hestia.

The King of the Underworld had retreated with his family to a sunny meadow beside which the tall trees formed a shaded forest. This was his favourite place on Olymphos, beside the heart his older sister tended to. This was where he liked to come when he wanted to be alone or just think before he was told that he could only return here for one day. Those councils took to much time and he could not sneak out here. His thoughts were a mess since he heard what one of his children had done, he felt as if he would have become a disappointment that he didn't turn against his family just like they had turned against him.

Sometimes, he really had thoughts about taking revenge, but he never acted upon them, if he did would he disappoint Hestia and Poseidon. And then he would have proved that he was no better then their father and a hypocrite, he would cause his beloved wife because no matter how often she clashed with her mother she loved her. He could never bring himself to hurt either of them, he was not like their father who had destroyed whatever angered him or what he deemed as a threat.

His children huddled close to his wife. As he stared at them, he thought about his future son. While he could understand his rage, he could never agree with his methods. As the god of dead, it was his duty to maintain balance. And even his children followed his laws. To hear that one of his child broke all his laws, pained him. It made him wonder just how worse a father he became in the future that his sons will commit such monstrosities.

He held Persephone close as he sighed, trying to calm his raging thoughts. Persephone embraced him, realizing his turmoil, trying to soothe his mind.

Apollo had flashed into the garden near his palace; he needed to get out of that room. The thought of one of his children doing such horrendous crimes against other living beings was unbearable. During the reading he had closed his eyes, only to catch glimpse of the monstrously crimes committed by his sons. He could not believe any of this. He felt sick, disappointed, horrified, but most of all disgusted not only with his future children, but also with himself and his family.

Gods hated to admit it when they have made mistakes, he was no exception, but still he knew that if the people really hear many of their stories that they will also see him for some of his deeds like a monster. The way he punished those who have in his option wronged him, were those deeds not cruel? The God of Prophecy sighed painfully when the sound of running hit his ears. He couldn't face his peers right now, he wanted to flee only to be stunned at the sight of approaching figure.

It was the silent hero, for whom the fates had asked for their aid. He stood barely a feet away from him, staring at him with those turbulent sea green eyes. The boy was beautiful, there was no way to deny this, Apollo's mind whispered. But he shook off that thought, in favor of turning his curious eyes to the silent figure.

The yells of his names made him turn towards the glade of trees, as the boy stretched his hand towards him. Curious and wary, he stretched his hand as well, only to startle at the sudden grip. The boy gripped his hand and brought him closer. With a sign of fingers on lips, he warned Apollo to remain quiet. With a flick of his fingers, the glade of trees became denser, hiding them from the sight of oncoming others. Apollo watched stunned as the sounds of feets ceased.

"What was that?" He asked the silent figure.

"Merely a distraction. You have about five minutes before they realize the ruse. Think of this as a repayment for healing me." The figure said offhandedly, before disappearing.

Apollo looked stunned again as he couldn't pinpoint the location of the figure. He was lost in thoughts before realizing that the figure arranged for him to be hidden for few more moments. He rushed to his chambers, intending to hide and refusing any visitors, before he was apprehended by his sister.

The other five children of Kronos and Rhea had gathered in a small clearing not far from the palace, but still secluded enough that no one could walk in on them by accident. The revelation some minutes ago had left them all in both shock and guilt; they did not know how to deal with the news that in the future one of their children would wish for the destruction of the whole civilization.

"Is this what you have truly wanted Zeus? Did you hear what will come even before the things we are hearing in these books? Was this the reason we decided to remain away from our children? Only for them to rebel against all laws of nature. " Poseidon demanded from his youngest brother.

"Poseidon don't…" but Hestia halted Zeus in his words.

"Poseidon is right brother, since we had won against our father, and this time I speak to all of you then there was none of you who had not agreed on that decision of our brother's exile. Even I'm not free from blame because I hadn't protested more vehemently, set my foot down as the oldest of us." Hestia said with saddened eyes as she remembered the time when they trapped inside they father, the way they would always snuggle up to each other for warmth and comfort. She missed those small moments of innocent intimacy.

  
"Our children thinks of us as cruel and indifferent. They suffer pain and abuse from mortals and betrayal from us. How wronged they were by us that they committed those deeds?" Demeter cried. She loved her children. And hearing of their sufferings made her disappointed with herself.

" It is time we change. We will held a council with all the deities in attendance. We will reestablish Hades and Hestia. We will change our rules, so that our children never feel so alone. All in favor?" Poseidon proposed to bewilderment of Zeus and Hera.

As king of Gods, Zeus hated to be called wrong and Hera hated demigods who represented the betrayal of her husband.

Before Zeus could deny the proposal of Poseidon, Demeter put her foot down glaring at Zeus. She screamed and threatened to bring another draught if he refused to listen. She might be angry with Hades, she loved her daughter and she would not let her future children be wronged anymore. Zeus grudgingly agreed, only on the condition that this will happen after they finish at least one book from the pile of books fates had presented to them about the hero and the future.

Artemis was worried with her brother's disappearance and when she saw him rushing towards his temple, she threw her dagger to trip him. As he tripped, Hermes caught him and Athena binded him.

She embraced his brother. Artemis let the world slip by her when the relief of finding her brother flooded through her. It made her wish to never let him go.

Holding him like this, feeling his warmth go through her body reminded her of the time when they were children and would sneak into the each other's bed and they would snuggle up against each other. She enjoyed this mostly in the winter.

Her brother and twin. She had helped their mother in his birth. He had always been precious to her. No matter how bipolar he was, joyful in a moment and thunderous in other, she still cared about him, but failed to show it.

She silently wondered when they had drifted apart that it become so hard for her to just smile at him, to meet and embrace her brother. She knew that it had nothing to do with her vow to stay a virgin and never let a man touch her in that way, when did their bond start to end?

Then she heard Demeter scream her father's name and it hit her, when they come to live at their father's court and become part of the Council of the Twelve Olympians, after that everything started to change.

They started slipping away from each other, her spending more and more time with the hunt or Athena, constantly fighting with the thickhead Aphrodite or Hera, while he spent his time pulling silly pranks with Hermes and flirting around constantly. They were slipping through each others fingers like the light they seem to emit, like the moon and sun who are constantly separated.

This pained her. The thought that her brother was becoming a stranger to her. Even now, had Hermes didn't pointed him, she wouldn't have known where to find his brother. And now, listening to the future had hurt her and she knew how devastating it was for her brother. He was always devoted to his duties, especially as a healer. The news about his children was unbearable to him. His disappearance was its proof.

After a few moments, she could feel him shaking. It made her to hold him tightly, to ease his pain, to calm his nerves.

It was at that moment that Nymphs arrived to announce that Zeus has asked for their return to finish the chapter.

Artemis was ready to refuse the invitation when Apollo finally freed himself from her hold and nodded to the bowing Nymphs.

He shot her a grin and left with Nymphs. Athena and Hermes exchanged a look with her and decided to return as well.

The whole council returned slowly. Poseidon had caught Hades outside and apologized for his role in his exile. Hades nodded to him. Demeter also gave a nod to him. And to his surprise, his sisters and brother, except Hera and Zeus, had decided to sit by him now. The sitting arrangements changed with Persephone sitting with her sisters and Hades sitting with his siblings in their mortal forms. Their children gathered around them. The mortal children mingled with godly ones. Orion smirked at Zagerus and his bow, who smiled in challenge.

Artemis sat by her brother, who was sitting by the silent figure, much to the surprise of her maidens. As Apollo settled, he gave a nod to the figure which was returned back.

The fates nodded to all -

"We know that the future looks scary. And it is. We hope that you will learn from these books and be better this time. Let's continue. "

Poseidon took the book and began -

**Thunder boomed.**

**I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."**

  
All remembered the Oath on Styx and the reason behind it. Hades grimaced and Poseidon patted his back. 

**Grover nodded.**

**"And the brothers kept their word—no kids?**

  
"I am not sure about that" Hermes grinned at the figure as Grover stiffened.

Zeus scoffed at the embarrassment of Poseidon. And Hades smirked.

 **Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon**.

Everyone nodded at this while said god glowered at his family, but didn't dare to say.

**There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo—he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. .**

Poseidon scoffed this time.  
The whole hall looked curious. Hera grimaced that even the most sacred oath couldn't stop her husband from infidelity.

But then Poseidon paled, much to the worry of Zeus -

**well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter.**

This made all wary. There was a reason why the promises on Styx remained sacred. Breaking a promise could cause grave punishments.

**"But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault."**

  
"Life isn't fair," Hera muttered. The children of Zeus glared.

No one commented, but on the inside were all demigods agreeing, unfortunately it seemed that it would be always them who would be punished or made to attorn for they parent's sins.

**Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia.**

The hall fell silent. Hades looked horrified. As did Zeus. Their children paled.

Zeus meanwhile wanted to snap at his brother, but Atropos's cold tone stopped him.

"He had a right to do what he did, I don't say that it was good, but you had brought his wrath on your daughter. You will know later in the books what you have done to bring that fate on your own child, but as said the only one who is blamed for his reaction is you. But not be forlorn. Your daughter's fates is not that hopeless yet. "

  
Poseidon continued at the look from Clotho - 

**A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."**

All learned closer, afraid but curious about the fate of that child. 

**He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."**

  
Silence. 

None dared to look at the devastated look of Zeus. His children stared at each other in disbelief. Demeter looked tired and Hestia sobbed. Hades didn't knew how to react. 

Poseidon continued   
-

**I stared at the pine in the distance.**

All looked down. Many bowed they heads at this, the children of Zeus in they grief for they little sister. Zeus for the daughter who never got a chance to live.

  
**The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother? If** **I** **had offered to sacrifice myself, would the beast have let my mother live**?

The children of Poseidon paled along with their father. This thought, while heroic, showed the way the boy didn't cared about his own survival.

Grover bleated as Chiron paled. He never knew of Percy's thoughts about his mother's 'death'. This made him realize how less had he known about his students.


	24. The Plan

**So sorry for not finishing chapters. It is the last part.** **One more fact, first gignatomachy finished a few years ago. In this story Orion is not** **the** **evil son of Gaia, but a son of Poseidon with Euryale, a Princess of Crete. The labors of Heracles hadn't happened yet. All** **heroes** **are barely 17 - 18. Right now, Heracles is 22. He was about 25, when Hera cursed him. At 26, he began his labors. At 27, he met Zoe. Now, let's continue. Remember, Achilles was about 20 when he joined the war, that continued for about 10 years and his death happened when he was about 28-35 years old.**

Poseidon continued -

**"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"**

  
Poseidon groaned.

**"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."**

  
Heracles looked baffled. As did others. Hades groaned at the thought that there will be heroes trying to descend into Underworld. 

The past heroes stared at future Chiron who flinched, but it was Lachesis who answered. 

"Long story short, Heracles committed a mistake which led him to atonement. He did 12 labors for that. Descending in Underworld was a part of those labors. As we tried to change the future, the powers suggested for us to start in the beginning of all troubles to make sure certain mistakes are never committed. In the books, you will hear many of such incidents. We suggest you pay attention and try to avoid making such mistakes. "

Heracles looked terrified at the very thought. Zeus shared his worry. He never wanted his son to face any such things. But fates refused to elaborate more, only promised that the books will explain further. 

For Orpheus they told the listeners about the musician son of Apollo who descended into Underworld to get his wife Eurydice back, but lost her due to his doubts. 

Poseidon continued-

**"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"**

**"No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking-"**

  
"He is" Nemesis muttered and Eirene shook her head.

**"No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"**

  
"Smooth " Hermes teased.

**Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."**

  
"We can guess" Perseus muttered thinking of the future demigods. 

**"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."**

"Well, killing a fury and Minotaur without any training surely shows that" Deimos muttered.

**Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap**. 

Hermes grinned. He liked verbal traps.

**"I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay**?"

  
"Why, satyr? I never knew that being my child will entitle one for a quest?" Hermes mused as Grover started stuttering apologies.

Nemesis yelled how she was a goddess, making Grover pale again as Tyche tried to control her.

Poseidon continued at the pleading look from Pan -

**I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me.** **Then the whole statement registered and** **I** **realized that Grover was more worried about his searcher's license than my own dilemmas. I wondered, offhandedly, was** **I** **only one of his assignments and not his friend.**

  
Poseidon grimaced and glared at the now sweaty Satyr. His children joined him in glaring as did Philotes.

 **Afterall it was hard to forget that he and Chiron had made me think** **I** **was crazy for weeks. Grover had kept secret. I never wanted to harm him or his dreams, but sometimes, I...** **I** **wonder did** **my** **trust ever meant anything to him**.

Grover flinched as those burning gazes promised pain. Chiron cringed at the accusations of letting Percy doubt his sanity. Pan looked equally upset.

Poseidon restarted at the look from Hestia -

**That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual.**

**At last, it was time for capture the flag.**

"Oh, gods." Clarisse groaned, her head going into her hands. The others could tell that this was going to be quite a story.

**When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.**

  
Gods grinned. Time to cheer for their children.

**Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.**

Ares smirked and his children grinned. Clarisse grimaced research what had happened. 

**I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"**

**"Not always," he said. "But often** **.** **"**

**"** They are the most competitive ones. And also they have the best strategies, so mostly other follow their leads." Chiron explained.

**"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"**

  
Clarisse snorted at that.

**He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."**

Hermes grinned. Grover winced thinking about what exactly did Luke did in the game.

**"Whose side are we on?"**

**He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight.**

This made Apollo frown. That sounded ominous. He caught a glance from fates who signaled him to be ready. 

**"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help?"**

Poseidon wondered why he didn't like that comment. It seemed to contain a double meaning. His children felt suspicious as well.

**The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support**.

The war gods nodded at alliances. 

**Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them**. 

Dionysus smirked at the thought of his sons.

**Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive**. 

Demeter grinned. 

**Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped**.

Aphrodite frowned a bit at that. Her children shared a wary look.

**Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem**.

Hephaestus murmured to himself as he continued his work.

**That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest and some really mean kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet**.

Ares smirked and Clarisse grimaced remembering her siblings. 

**Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.**

Chiron grimaced at bit. Hitting marble was not a nice experience for his hoofs.

**"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"**

  
All nodded at the description of rules.

**He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.**

**"Whoa," I said. "We're really supposed to use these?"** **I mean** **I** **was completely new to weaponry and we practiced with blunt weapons and wooden** **sword** **.**

  
"His worries are not wrong" Eirene muttered to a grinning Enyo.

**Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol** **."**

  
Athena and Ares frowned at that, as did Enyo. To give the responsibility of border patrol to a complete amateur was dangerous. It sounded like a trap. But it put the victim in a dire position.

**My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run fast.**

This was other point of worry for Poseidon. The boy wasn't trained enough with shields and swords. In case of confrontation, he will face disadvantage.

**My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.**

**Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"**

Athena straightened at the mention of her daughter. Other future guests grimaced remembering the plan of An..her with Percy as her bait.

**We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.**

Ares cheered. 

**I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment. I had certain doubts about my post. I mean ,** **I** **don't think** **I** **was trained enough to hold a position of confrontation.**

Poseidon felt his nerves rising. Theasus started evaluation of plan to understand the idea of the girl.

**"Hey."**

**She kept marching** **.**

All frowned. The girl was quiet rude.

**"So what's the plan?" I asked. My nerves alit with wariness. I just wanted a backup. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"**

Poseidon nodded. As the main strategist, it was her responsibility to provide for her teammates. 

**Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something.**

Many felt affronted. Her behavior was really bad. Chiron felt like groaning.

**"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"**

Athena frowned, so it was a trap. The point was for whom. And who was the bait.

**"Border patrol, whatever that means."** **I could understand the words, but** **I** **still wanted to confirm my post.**

Ares nodded. It was necessary to know all parts of a plan.

**"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."**

  
Athena looked appalled. So, her daughter was making a complete amateur a bait. The plan was fine, but very dangerous. As anything could go wrong very easily. 

**She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust.**

  
"How rude?" Eirene muttered and Enyo grimaced. The plan was dangerous. 

**"Okay," I muttered. "Glad you wanted me on your team."** **I tried** **to** **cheer up, but my instincts felt as if** **I** **had fallen into a trap.**

Poseidon grimaced as did his children. Hopefully, nothing go bad.

None saw the way Clarisse flinched. 

**It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.**

The tension rose. All straightened to listen about their children.

**Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge oversized shield, I felt like an idiot. The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball** **.**

Poseidon felt tired. The least his future self could have done was to arrange some good balanced weapons for his son. But no! Now the boy had no proper weapon to defend himself with.

**There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?**

"They will face much worse if they harmed you unjustly" Poseidon swore and his children nodded. All gods paled as they remembered the rage of Poseidon. 

Clarisse flinched. Oh, she was in trouble. 

**Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.**

Apollo grinned. 

**Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual** **. At least there is silence here.**

**Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.**

The future guests paled, it was already there.

Poseidon felt nervous. 

**I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me.**

Now all felt nervous. Apollo watched the clenched fists and slowly shaking legs of the silent figure. 

**Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.**

Some looked relieved. But Poseidon felt his head throb as he read on.

**On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark** **.**

"Wonderful" Athena thought. "So they were the target."  
Ares felt worried. 

**"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.**

Ares cringed. Now they have done it.

**Her eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords-not that that made me feel any better** **.**

Poseidon continued reading as Ares watched scared of future punishment. He pushed Clarisse behind himself, much to her surprise, to shield her from Poseidon's sight .

**They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin.**

"Run!" Literally the whole sea entourage yelled.

**I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.**

The smell of burning hair made Apollo grimace. 

**Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back.**

The figure stiffened.

**Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt** **. I probably bruised my back, or cut it. I felt it ache badly.**

  
Poseidon's eyes narrowed. Ares and his sons cringed. 

**They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.**

Ares groaned. 

**"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."**

Clarisse flinched at the glares she got from sea siblings. 

**I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb.**

The figure was rubbing at his arms, as if they, too, were numb and he was trying to create friction in them.

**"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."**

"Oh you should be" Theasus swore.

**"The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way.**

"Probably not" Hermes muttered. 

**"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."**

"Your actions did that for you" Rhodes growled and Kym nodded again.

**You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.**

Iris's head went into her hands. "And... he insulted them. Why?"

"Did you expect anything different? He is of the sea" Eirene asked, leaning her head back.

Kym and Rhode groaned.

**Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-ke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut.**

The trail of blood that kept falling from the hero's arm made Poseidon see red. Apollo rushed to heal. Clarisse felt her sight go black. Ares grimaced.

**Seeing my own blood made me dizzy-warm and cold at the same time.**

  
The big gash kept bleeding, despite all efforts of Apollo. The figure swayed slightly as if dizzy. 

Fates made Poseidon rush with the news that the wounds won't heal in real life unless they healed the book first.

**"No maiming," I managed to say.**

"Yes, no maiming!" Hygeia shouted as she aided Apollo. 

**"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege.**

Chiron flinched under the glares he received from Poseidon. He wasn't the one who decided punishment. It was Dionysus. But he obviously couldn't say that now.

**He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double- espresso jelly beans. My senses sharpened and my wounds ached less. The gashes on my arms started healing. I could have tried to stand up, but something held me back. A feminine voice, like my mother, rang in my mind.**

  
All looked dumbfounded. Apollo stared as the wounds finally started healing. He restarted his work to heal the remaining gashes.

Poseidon wondered was it one of Naiads who aided his son.

" **Remain calm, my child. Let the water heal you first. There will be time to retaliate" The voice seemed to say.**

Fates exchanged glances. So it already began.

**"But how can** **I** **retaliate",** **I** **mumbled, the voice seemed so caring like my mother,"** **I** **have no idea how to fight back. I am not as trained as them."**

The deities looked at fates in askance. Was this a water spirit?

" **Remain calm. The water will give to strength to fight back." The voice murmured back.**  
 **"But only strength won't be enough." I complained, probably whiny, but** **I** **just felt hopeless.**  
 **"No, it won't." The voice agreed." But it will heal you enough to give your gifts a chance to grow."**  
 **"My gifts..what? " I was completely baffled.**  
 **"Hush child! You will know in time. Now stand up! Your wounds are healed. It's time. " The voice commanded before going completely silent. No matter what** **I** **said** **there was no reply .**

Poseidon looked stunned. He couldn't explain what exactly she was.

**But she was right, it was time**. **Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water.**

  
The hall silenced.

**Bully** **Number Two and Bully Number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.**

  
Poseidon finished breathlessly. This was unheard of. His sons were energized by water, but none of them had learned to fight like this through just soaking in water.

  
Even Chiron looked baffled. He had thought that An..she had helped Percy in the fight. But listening to this was completely confusing.

As the looks towards the figure got more wary, the fates sighed.

Clotho addressed the wary crowd -

"We hope you remember our words about different pantheons in the beginning. Well, actually, that's what happened. Our hero hails from a long line of priestesses, warriors, royals and heroes. The gifts the voice was talking about is related to his family. While being Poseidon's son gives him water-abilities, there were many of his ancestors similarly either blessed by gods or born to them. This blessing of war-craft, comes from his mother's lineage. Some of his ancestors, especially, his great-grandparents came from the Hindu Pantheon. Do you remember how rain water recharged him? That's due to Indra, the king of Gods in Hinduism, he is the one who commands rains and lightning. His children carry similar gifts, though not to that extent. Our hero's gifts of water are amplified due to that. That's also one of the reasons of his and his mother's remaining conscious even while hit by lightning. "

Zeus looked completely bemused. So, the boy belonged to both sea and sky, in a way. Poseidon looked equally puzzled, was that the reason that the woman could manipulate mist and see through it.

Lachesis began now -

" That's not the only ancestor of our hero that belongs to Hindu Pantheon. The gift of war-craft is ingrained in his lineage. It is due to the blessing of Lord Kartikeya, the war-lord of Hindu pantheon. He is the son of Lord Shiva, the Hindu's avatar of Lord Chaos, and Lady Parvati. Lord Kartik, as he is known generally, had blessed his priests and priestesses with the oath that their children will possess the gift of ingrained instincts of war. It was to help them to defend themselves and their lands. For many centuries, the children of those priest's lineage became commanders in army to defend their lands from invaders. Many married in the royal families as well."

Ares looked stunned. He had met Kartikeya before and enjoyed sparring against him. Athena also loved to discuss war-strategies with their Hindu  
counterpart.

Atropos took over now -

" As for the gift for healing, that is from Lord Surya of Hindu pantheon. Our hero had the gift of strength, sturdiness, sharp instincts and quick healing through him. Water merely accelerates the gifts. As he was still young during the first game, it took time but later on he improved. "

"But what does that mean? So, the boy will be very powerful? And I remember fates, that you had spoken of many pantheons. Was this the only one pantheon that mingled with the boy's lineage? What does that mean for the stability of our pantheon?" Zeus demanded ignoring the warning looks from Poseidon.

Clotho sighed -

"Actually it is not the first time that pantheons had mingled in one way or another. In reality, none of the great heroes throughout the entire world have belonged to only one pantheon. One way or other, all had blood of other pantheons as well. Look at your son Heracles, he possess the blood from the bloodline of two Hindu mythological figures. One of them is Apalla, the blessed adopted daughter of Indra. It gives him the gift of charm. The other is that of Bhima, the warrior son of Lord Pawan, the Hindu God of Air and storms. Heracles inherited a bit of his strength from him. One of Bhima's sons was a Danav, he belonged to a blessed tribe known for their strength and ability to transform themselves. One of his descendants seduced the ancestor of Alcemene, the mother of Heracles. Your gifts to your demigod children mingled with the gifts from their mortal parent's lineage. That is the case with many heroes."

Heracles looked completely dazed. He never knew of his lineage's blessings. Zeus looked equally dazed.

Lachesis continued -

"Don't you ever realized, why you feel almost compelled to sleep with some people? It is one of those reasons. The mingling of bloodlines aid in birth of great heroes. However, we try to find matches with diluted blood. Not the recent descendants, I mean the direct children of other pantheons. That could cause much more damage to the bloodlines. "

The whole council looked dazed. They never thought of this. To hear of this is such a manner was enlightening to say the least.

Atropos finished the explanation of her sisters -

"However, we are also conscious about the stability of Pantheon and the fact that too much of mingling might create a overpowered child and such. Besides there are also the family-rights to consider. Deities have always been possessive of their children, no matter which pantheon. So, that's another point to consider. So, we try to make sure that some gifts get muted or disappear completely to denounce some relationships. However, this didn't happened in the case of our hero. As you know, Ananke took charge of his thread. It was her who managed the whole affair of mingling of bloodlines. We were never aware of the mess she caused, until the hero himself knocked at our doors."

Poseidon's nerves alit with tension. What did that Ananke did with his child?

The fates finished together -

"Instead of removing or muting any blessings and gifts, she merely lessened their impact. Only for them to grow with time. In other words, the powers of our hero will keep growing till his age of 25, that is the amount of Gods who have blessed his lineage either directly or through children. "

The whole council felt dazed. This was simply unheard of. Poseidon stared open-mouthed at the fates. His children were equally surprised.

"Don't be that surprised" The mellow voice of the hero rang through the hall.  
" My life would be far too calm for them unless they managed to make a blunder. I have learned that every blessing comes with a price. Trust my words , had I be allowed I would have stabbed myself just to escape my life. But no, that would be far to merciful. Do continue, Lord Poseidon. You will see what these so-called blessings have costed me. Probably in this very chapter as well."

The fates grimaced. The deities looked nervous. Poseidon began again -

**"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"**

  
Ares refocused on the story. Clarisse grimaced. 

**She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek.**

  
Sea siblings cheered as war-children groaned.  
Hygeia rushed to heal a dazed Clarisse. 

**Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.**

  
Clarisse groaned and Hygeia kept working. Ares frowned at his daughter's state.

Hermes smirked at Athena who looked pained. 

**"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."**

**They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.**

  
Hermes grinned cheerfully. Apollo joined in cheering.

**The game was over. We'd won.**

"And he was only _slightly_ maimed." Theasus said cheerfully, pinching his brother's arms.

**I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero."**

  
All froze.

**I looked, but she wasn't there.**

**"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.**

"She was there the whole time?" Triton asked, his voice controlled hiding his fury.

Athena's eyes darted from right to left. "It seems so..." She admitted.

**I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. Now my warning instincts seemed correct. "You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."**

  
Poseidon gritted his teeth. Hestia frowned in disapproval. Ares looked furious. Nike started mumbling of bad players and wrong plans.

**Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."**

"That's cold." Deimos muttered, his eyes widening as he took in the dazed state of his future sister. 

**"I can't believe it.** **The way** **she shrugged the whole thing. Had water not healed me,** **I** **could have been badly injured. As it was,** **I** **barely managed to** **turn** **the tables. And she shrugged it all off as if my injuries** **and** **safety meant nothing in face of** **her** **victory. Or,** **I** **reevaluated as** **I** **watched the grinning face of Luke, the victory** **of** **her crush. She stood me up to get maimed only to get** **her** **crush the victory he wanted. She...she** "

Chiron flinched. This....this was unbelievable. She might have been manipulative, but he never knew her to be this cold and calculating. She literally set an untrained hero to be sacrificed for her glory.

Athena looked appalled. This...this was unthinkable. To think that one of her children could be so callous. She couldn't believe it. 

Poseidon looked outraged. The girl will pay for her deeds.

  
**"A plan to get me pulverized."**

**"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged. "You didn't need help."**

**Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?"**

  
"

So, she finally noticed " Apollo mumbled as he stared at the bruised arms of the hero.

**"Sword cut," I said. "What do you think?"**

**"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it."**

**The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared.**

As did in the hall.

  
**"I-I don't get it," I said.**

**Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."**

"No, remain. You're not completely healed" Theasus whispered.

**"What-"**

**"Just do it."**

**I couldn't refuse as she gripped my arms**. **I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me.**

**"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ."**

"Who cares what she wants?" Poseidon roared. "Who does she think she is? Making that insane plan, making unreasonable demands, just who does she think she is?" 

Grover flinched and Athena scowled. But none could say otherwise. The girl was infuriating. 

**Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.**

  
"Now what?" Orion groaned. He had experienced enough excitement for one chapter. 

**The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!"**

  
Chiron paled.

**Annabeth drew her sword.**

Athena nodded. 

**There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.**

  
"Oh Chaos!" Poseidon cursed. 

"A hell hound!!" Triton swore.

**It was looking straight at me.**

  
"Of course it was!" Eirene wailed and Tyche cursed.

**Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"**

Poseidon felt his nerves rising. 

**She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.**

  
Apollo cursed as the figure swooned. The rush of blood gushing out from his chest was horrifying. The whole hall fell in chaos as the deities related to healing rushed to the figure. Apollo started barking orders. The bones were visible through the cavity the bite had created in the hero's chest. Many deities felt like throwing up.

Fates barked at Poseidon to finish the chapter.

**By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat**

Apollo swore at the damage done to chest bones .

**Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.**

**"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."**

  
Hades paled. Another of his brother's child who might die in his hands.

**"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."**

  
The hall fell silent. This couldn't be happening?

**Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.**

**Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"**

"How..." Theasus snapped, whatever question he wanted to ask dying on his lips at the pale bloodless face of the girl.

**"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.**

**We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.**

**"You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."**

"Listen to her." Poseidon begged.

**"I'm okay."**

**"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."**

**I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me.**

"Aah..." Eirene wheezed, her hands, raised in prayer, going into her hair. Tyche flinched.

**Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped.**

"Thank Chaos!" Poseidon muttered as he watched the skin of his son's chest knit together. 

Apollo moved back, pushed by the hero, who entered the lake to heal his remaining wounds. 

**"Look, I-I don't know why," I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry...."**

  
"Why is he apologizing? He did nothing wrong ?" Theasus demanded and Hygeia frowned. 

**But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head.**

  
As did the deities as a shining trident appeared over the lake. Poseidon watched baffled to which Chiron informed him that this was the famed claiming.

**"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ..."**

**By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.**

**"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good.**

"What? Oh the oath?" Poseidon remembered.

Chiron grimaced. He wished he could say that it was only due to the oath. But he knew that she was thinking of her own benefits. And that her mother's rivalry with Poseidon might make it hard for her to achieve glory.

**"It is determined," Chiron announced.**

**All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.**

**"My father?" I asked, completely bewildered.**

**"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."**

The sea siblings cheered along. Their father smiled softly. 


	25. The Twist

**So,** **I** **am changing some parts. Let me know your views**.

After the ending of the chapter, the assembly adjourned for dinner. The hero remained in the lake, despite all calls of fates.   
Poseidon and his children had tried as well, only to receive no response.

Finally, they decided to leave him there, after Apollo commented that he will come back after dinner to check on him. The elder Gods, except Zeus, decided to catch up. Poseidon invited Hades in his temple for dinner as Persephone accompanied her mother and sisters. The demigods resided in temple of Hestia and godly children in the temples of their parents. Hermes joined Apollo and they chatted about the future guests. Artemis joined Athena and Hestia, along with her hunters. Harmonia invited Clarisse to remain with them for the night and Grover stayed with Satyrs. All others went to their temples.

The excitement and worries of the future made many unable to sleep properly.

Heracles wondered about the possibility of making no mistakes this time. Sea siblings worried about their future brother. Artemis tried to check upon Apollo only to be pulled back by her hunters. Clarisse tried to rebuff the questions of her siblings about future.

Apollo did managed to check upon the injuries of the hero. But he didn't managed to ease his wary nerves. The thoughts of future scared him. All information he gathered through the book showed Apollo, the protector of youth, that he had failed in his duties. Badly. A child abused by his guardians, another lost due to bullies, demigods hunted and tortured, other demigods angered to the extent that they decided to wreck the whole civilization. All these made the golden lord upset. He was tired. Tired of being neglected by his sister, tired of usual dismissive comments from his peers, tired of watching and warning others against mistakes when they never paid attention to his words; but he never thought that one day such mistakes would come to haunt them like this. He had always tried to aid his children, only to face his father's wrath and his peers taunts, even his sister, his twin, taunted him for his lovers and his children. Before he tried to console himself with pranks of Hermes or loitering around with his priests, but now he couldn't ignore the warnings of fates anymore.

They had shown them what would be the result if they continued to ignore their duties regarding their children. It was high time to change or else, they will lose everything. His check-up of the hero earned him no words or hints about the future, despite his efforts to make him speak. The hero remained silent watching him with hooded eyes.

Finally Apollo left to sleep and the figure returned to the lake.

Poseidon was also present during the check up. The bleeding wounds on his son's body had scared him. All he wanted was to take his son under the sea to protect him from all those who sought to harm him. But the silence of his child hurt him more. He always tried to connect to his children in one way or other. But he was completely out of ideas about how to connect with this one. The agony he had felt when he saw his son's crushed shoulder and chest was unbearable. He stood for a long time by the shore of lake, trying to understand what he could do to make his child better. The brokenness in his child's voice as he addressed the council regarding his gifts made Poseidon nervous. The way his son sought death made his heart clench. He could feel the pain of his other mortal children as well at the sight of their hurting brother.

He stayed till Triton came to find him along with Hestia. Hestia had given him a sympathetic smile as he finally returned with Triton to his chambers.

The next day, after the breakfast, all returned to their places to continue the reading.

Hestia took the book, with a nod from Fates. The hero was out of lake as well. Other Gods, except Zeus, had maintained their mortal forms to stay near their children. Artemis was back with her hunters, but she kept glancing at Apollo who was sitting with Hermes by the hero's side.

Finally Hestia began.

**Chapter - 9 - I am Offered a Quest**.

The nerves rose. While assignment of quest was considered quite an honor, the child was still untrained properly, inspite of his gifts. Heroes exchanged glances and Poseidon rubbed his forehead. This was not good.

**The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin thre** e.

"Oh he was claimed right" Hermes commented remembering the nervousness that surrounded the campers.

**I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.**   


  


“That sounds awesome!” Many whispered in awe. Companions and siblings were nice but sometimes all of them needed space.  


  


**And I was absolutely miserable** e  


  


  
  


  
Many frowned. Grover grimaced.

**Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid—or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood—I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease**.

Poseidon frowned at that. Clarisse scowled.

**Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.**   


  


Poseidon looked stunned. Hades looked down.  


  


**I could hear them whisper. I was the child of broken oath. The last child of broken oath had died, but at least she died outside the camp and as a hero protecting her fellows. I was already in camp.**   


  


The heroes cringed. Poseidon felt his temper rising.   


  


**The camp was a neutral place, no God had ever harmed a child under the borders of camp. But the attack from a hellhound was like a alarm. How much the Gods hated me that they would even breach the oath of neutrality just to kill me.**   


  


Hades flinched.  


  


All deities looked down.  


  


  
**The Gods were always indifferent to other campers, but the attack proved that my presence made them notice the camp. They were all scared and nervous. How sad it was that children were afraid of their own parents**? **The raging seas and stormy skies were making my stay** **worse** **.**  


  


Everyone flinched.   


  


**The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Not that I had made many friends in my stay of 3 days,** **but** **now they were even nervous to meet my eyes. Many glared or taunted me behind my back. It was almost as if** **I** **was back in my old life before the camp. Taunts and jeers, glares and whispers**.   


  


Hestia looked sad. Chiron grimaced. Poseidon and Apollo felt sick.   


  


**There were no physical attacks yet, but the glares** **were** **enough to make me stay away**.  


  


Eirene shook her head and Nemesis muttered curses.  


  


**Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one. He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.**   


  


  
Hermes frowned at the behavior of his children, though he smiled about Luke.  


  


**"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetition** s. **I could hardly complain,** **I** **knew from my fight against the Ares cabin that** **I** **needed to be trained. I needed to be strong.**  


  


Athena nodded at that as did Poseidon. He was thankful for this son of Hermes who at least tried to aid his son.  


  


Grover winced.   


  


**Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eye** s.  


  


All scowled. Chiron felt all his mistakes were piling up.  
Athena winced.   


  


**After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan ..."**   


  


  
Athena looked appalled as the sea siblings rose up in outrage. Poseidon's eyes flashed in warning and Athena blanched.   


  


All other deities looked insulted.   


  


**Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignore** d. **Chiron too maintained his distance and silence**.   


  


Both flinched at the looks they got from Poseidon.  


  


**In the two days after claiming,** **I** **wondered if it would have been better to be never claimed**.   


  


Poseidon flinched.  


  


**I knew somebody at camp resented me badly, because on the third night after claiming, I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.**   


  


**BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT**   


  


**BY EILEEN SMYTHE**   


  


  
Poseidon snarled at the saddened look of Hestia. She continued -   


  


**Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.**   


  


**Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.**   


  


“What about the lightning strike, and the storm?” Perseus questioned.   


  


Clarisse frowned. “Mortals can be oblivious. But I think mist must have hidden everything about divine interference. ”  


  


**Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.**   


  


“Excuse me?” Theasus asked, jerking his arms violently towards the book. Orion held him back before he could tear up the book.  


  


**Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.**   


  


**The phone number was circled in black marker.**   


  


Theasus doesn’t move out of Orion’s grasp this time. “I bet it was one of those glaring campers.”  


  


All felt a headache building. Apollo decided to make a list of things he must change.  


  


  
**I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin.**   


  


**"Lights out," I told myself miserably** **. I was tired of glares, whispers, taunts and insults. If it was what others meant by camp being a home for demigods,** **I** **never wanted a** **home** **. My home was my mother, she was dead. I will never have a home anymore.**   


  


Hestia frowned sadly. Poseidon looked down.  


  


Eirene felt like crying. Chiron flinched. Just how badly had he failed Percy?  


  


**That night, I had my worst dream yet.**   


  


  
Morpheus exchanged looks with Hypnos and Apollo.   


  


**I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.**   


  


  
"Another storm. Great." Poseidon muttered.   


  


**About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.**   


  


  
Poseidon and Zeus looked stunned. They were fighting in a demigod's dream. This was unheard of.  


  


Apollo frowned. This seemed odd. It was far too clear than usual dreams.  


  


**I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.**   


  


  
The deities exchanged nervous glances.  


  


**Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.**   


  


"Give it back? You took something from me." Zeus demanded.   


  


"Or you lost it yourself and blamed me? This is hardly a new thing. You have lost things before and blamed me or Hades." Poseidon shot back.  


  


Their older brother grumbled about the petty feuds.   


  


Nature spirits and Horae grimaced thinking about nature.   


  


**The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.**   


  


  
Heroes grimaced.   


  


**I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!**   


  


  
"Sadly that is hard to do. Especially as both love fighting" Demeter and Hestia groaned as the brothers spluttered .  


  


**The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.**   


  


All froze. Some looked at Hades who looked stunned.   


  


Hestia forced herself to read at the look from fates.  


  


**Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!**   


  


  
Hades froze, his brothers blanched.   


  


**The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.**   


  
The hero shook himself as if freeing himself from unseen chains.

The deities looked stunned.

Hestia continued -

**I woke up, sure I was falling.**   


  


  
Apollo remembered his almost falls from sun chariot.  


  


**I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that.**   


  
Hypnos frowned.

**I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.**   


  


**"Come in?"**   


  


**Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you."**   


  


  
Poseidon looked wary.  


  


  
**"Why?"**   


  


**"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you."**   


  


Theasus furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh…”   


  


Poseidon glanced at Dionysus in warning.   


  


**Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.**   


  


  
"When you aren't?" Grover mumbled only to be over heard by Poseidon who cringed.  


  


**For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict.**   


  
Poseidon glared at all deities in warning. Broken oath or not, his child must remain unharmed.

“They’re not really gonna try and kill him, right?” Orion asked, eyes wide.  


  


“Let’s just put it this way…” Clarisse murmured. “The fact that he lived as long as he did without the gods noticing or considering to kill him is a literal miracle.”  


  
All stiffened.

**Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.**   


  


**"No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."**   


  


**I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"**   


  


**He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."**   


  


  
Horae and nature spirits exchanged glances.   


  


**I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.**   


  


**But this storm ... this one was huge.**   


  


  
Poseidon grimaced.   


  


**At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.**   


  


  
Deities grimaced, their children shouldn't be this scared.  


  


**Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents--two sets of cards hovering in the air.**   


  


**"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."**   


  


**I waited.** **Speaking would only make his taunts worse. My experience with teachers had taught me this much.**  


  


**"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."**   


  


Poseidon looked at Dionysus who flinched.  


  


**A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.**   


  


**"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.**   


  


  
Dionysus wondered should he run now or later. The glares from sea entourage were very scary.  


  


**Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.**   


  


**"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."**   


  


  
Dionysus started mumbling apologies in the direction of Poseidon.   


  


Hestia continued-  


  


**"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.**   


  


**"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."**   


  


  
Poseidon stared at Dionysus who kept sweating.   


  


**Mr. D—" Chiron finally warned.**   


  


**"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."**   


  


  
"  


  


What he must do?" Poseidon demanded.   


  


"A quest" Apollo mumbled remembering the title.   


  


**Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.**   


  


**He snapped his fingers.**   


  


**The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.**   


  


  
"Hmmmm, quite observant" Athena muttered.   


  


**Chiron tried to smile at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."**   


  


**We did.**   


  


**Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.**   


  


**"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"**   


  


**Just hearing the name made me shudder.**   


  


"Understandable" Bellerophone muttered.  


  


**Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn't feel like lying.**   


  


“Good for him.” Apollo murmured, tiredly running his hand through his hands.   


  


**"It scared me," I said. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."**   


  


**"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."**   


  


“At least he’s honest.” Artemis whispered to Athena who nodded.  


  


**"Done ... with what?"**   


  


**"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"**   


  


“What even is the quest?” Enyo asked, rubbing her fingers together. “ This is starting to make me anxious.”  


  


**I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.**   


  


**"Um, sir," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."**   


  


**Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."**   


  


“Meaning Chiron is scared he won’t take it if he knows what it’s going to entail.” Heracles sighed, remembering his own ordeals.   


  


**Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.**   


  


**"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... something that was stolen, aren't they?".**   


  


“I wonder what was stolen.” Deimos whispered.  


  


**Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.**   


  


**Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"**   


  


**My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."**   


  


“How I loathe demigod dreams.” Theasus muttered to Orion.  


  



	26. The Prophecy

**Let's continue**

Hestia continued -

**"I knew it," Grover said.**

**"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.**

**"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"**

Grover flushed remembering what actually happened in the quest.

**"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."**

  
"What?" Zeus roared. The sky became stormy in a moment. The strikes of lightning illuminated the darkened atmosphere. The trees fell and caught fire through striking of electricity.

Nature fell in chaos. The spirits sobbed and Satyrs wailed.

All minor deities trembled. The elder siblings shared a nervous glance. This was unexpected. 

"Who stole it?" Zeus thundered "They will pay dearly for this transgression. "

"Oh calm down!" Clotho snapped and the deities jumped. 

With a snap of their fingers the storm calmed. With a furious look Atropos regarded a bewildered Zeus -

"You rage and accusations are unbecoming of a ruler. You should watch your temper, king of Gods. We suggest calmness during the whole reading. We would hate to punish anyone for forgetting our rules. You're not to punish anyone. None of the acts have been committed yet. You will read and learn from your mistakes. You will not let your ego blind you from truth. You will make amends for your mistakes. You all will not harm or plan to harm anyone present or arriving in this hall, due to these books. Be quiet, calm and attentive. Be better that your foolish future selves. Are we clear?"

All nodded. None wanted to face the wrath of fates.

Hestia continued hastily to dissolve the tension -

**I laughed nervously. "A what?"**

**"** This is no laughing matter!" Zeus muttered snapishly, but didn't raised his voice.

**"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned.**

Zeus nodded. His siblings exchanged exasperated looks.

**"I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."**

**"Oh."**

  
"

Oh! What does he mean by oh!? It is serious " Zeus snapped only to cower at the glare of fates.

**"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.** "

Zeus nodded. As did his brothers. Dramatics of Zeus aside, the stealing of lightning bolt was a grave matter.

**"And it's missing?"**

**"Stolen," Chiron said.**

**"By who?"**

**"By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you."**

The deities looked dazed. But the boy didn't knew anything about them, before a week.

Zeus tried to stood up to curse the boy only to flinch at the glares of fates.

**My mouth fell open.**

**"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best', 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."**

  
"Huh!" Poseidon looked stunned. " How is it possible that if you lost something, I am the one who stole it? And why would I ask my son to do so? If he was born of broken oath, I would do anything to keep him out of our mess! At least use you mind!"

Zeus winced at the words but refused to apologize.

"So that's how it is!" Apollo commented. 

"What?" Hermes muttered. 

"Why the boy was so ignorant of his parentage. Lord Poseidon probably tried to hide him from our sight, so that none could harm him for the broken oath. He probably taught the mother a few tricks to keep the boy safe." Apollo suggested at large to the council.

Many nodded at that. Poseidon felt a bit glad. So his future self wasn't completely unsuitable at being a father.

Hestia continued -

**"But I didn't-"**

**"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."**

"That makes no sense." Poseidon groaned. "Why would I let the child near the Olympians, when I am trying to hide him?"

Hades consoled -" You know how he is. Calm down."

Zeus refused to look at them.

**"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"**

"Uh oh. He shouldn't have said that." Athena whispered, her lips pursing together. 

"But he is not wrong" Theasus muttered to his brothers.

Zeus glowered at his amused looking brothers.

**Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.**

**"Er, Percy ...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."**

  
Clarisse snorted and Grover flushed.

**"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam...." He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight.**

**How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted and beaten. Chiron was waiting for an answer.**

"Relatable." Bellerophone murmured remembering his own clumsiness. 

His brothers grimaced about the comment regarding beating. 

**"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"**

  
"Ah yes!" Zeus crooned only to falter at the nonplussed looks of his siblings. All of them had aided in the plan in one way or other. It was due to his own tyranny that they did that. Finally, Zeus had mellowed a bit to ease his siblings. 

**"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw."**

"Wonderful" Poseidon rubbed his forehead. He could feel the oncoming migraine.   
Many grimaced, it wasn't fair to make a child a sacrifice for their mistakes. 

**"But I'm just a kid!"**

**"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you.... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"**

  
Aphrodite snorted at the comment. Zeus glared at Grover who winced. The council looked amused. 

  
Poseidon started muttering about Zeus's follies and foolishness. 

**"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"**

  
"Of course not!" Poseidon snorted at the very thought.   
Zeus glowered. 

**Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"**

**"Bad?" I guessed.**

  
"That's an understatement" Athena commented thinking about the possible devastating outcome.

**"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."**

**"Bad," I repeated.**

  
"

  
What is trojan war?" Ares asked

Fates exchanged glances. Lachesis answered -

"We will tell you but remember your promise to be calm and to listen patiently "

All nodded-

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen, a daughter of Zeus, from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad.

The reason behind it was a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, also known as the Apple of Discord. It was offered by Eris as "for the fairest goddess". Tired of petty squabbles between Godesses, and not willing to take sides, Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris of Troy, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus of Sparta, fall in love with Paris, who quit Sparta with her and returned to Troy. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. "

Silence.

The three goddesses stared at each other. None able to believe that their personal vanity led to war. Yes,they all had wanted the apple but this was unexpected. Why would their affairs reflect on mortals in this manner?Thetis sat stunned at the words that her son will die in the war. Eris felt nervous too. All remembered the scene of the wedding party when Eris had presented the apple. Did she planned this?

"But why?" Artemis asked. "What was so special about the apple?"

"Haven't you guessed it Artemis? The apple was created with the powers of discord. The only thing it could cause in pain and rage. When Eris created that apple, she wanted the Gods to face their own vanity, their own crimes. They didn't invite her to not let anything wrong happen in the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. In her rage, she let her powers overflow. She almost lost control, without even caring about consequences. But she couldn't be blamed completely, as she wanted to avenge her sister, Nemesis." Clotho answered

Lachesis continued-

Do you remember Zeus, how Helen was born? She was born of your lust and unwillingness of Nemesis. She was born to acquire revenge. And Eris used this. She wished to show how gods themselves are capable of causing problems for all, even those who shouldn't be involved in their affairs. As Zeus hurted Nemesis and none of you intervened, Eris decided to take revenge. Hera, the protector of women; Athena, the one of the overseers of justice; Aphrodite, the godess of love and passion; all of you failed in your duties regarding the affair of Zeus and Nemesis. And Eris decided to punish you for that."

All the three goddesses flinched. Zeus looked enraged only to cower at the look of rage from fates. All deities winced at the accusations of fates.

Atropos finished -

"This was another of your faults. Your idea of superiority that blind you from the reality. You don't care for others, in your lust or rage you harm them without thinking of consequences. But someone pays the price. Open your eyes deities. Your overthrowing of titans was justified on the ground of them being unfit for ruling. They were proud and unjust, cruel and merciless and committed many sins. That was the reason why we aided you in your endeavors. But if you will follow the same path, we will be forced to take harder steps."

They ended together   
-  
" The trojan war was a mirror for gods to improve themselves. But the atrocious deeds committed in that wars haunted many generations to come. The apple of strife unveiled the hidden darkness of Gods. It led to Gods taking sides, making enemies, raging wraiths upon those who should have remained untouched by their affairs. Look around deities. The only reason, this solstice didn't turn into the beginning of showdowns before trojan war because we interfered. If we hadn't interfered, within 15 years the war would have started."

All sat stunned. It was unbelievable. Before the shouting could have began, fates nodded at the figure who created a air whistle. The shrill sound broke the Gods out of their inner strife. All turned towards the figure who, in turn, nodded towards fates. At the raised brows of fates, all quited their own thoughts and became quiet. Lachesis murmured -

"As it is, all such fights are now of other timelines, when we didn't intervened. This timeline will be new and we hope for your sakes that you will try to be better. Stop the discord from corrupting your values. Try to be better. Respect each other. Learn to accept rejection. Forgive and forget. Let begones be begone. Live for today and strive for a better tomorrow. Your lives now belong in this new timeline that was created the moment we arrived here. Now, you have the chance to change. We wish for you to improve, unless you desire to be destroyed as well."

Atropos joined her -

"This was one of the reasons behind this reading. When we asked for aid we were told just how many threads were interwoven in the life thread of our hero. We had to at least try to change the devastating conditions and decisions before we could make any decision regarding our hero."

Clotho finished -

" that's why we came here to make you understand. Please pay heed to our warnings. Let's take a break. We will continue in half an hour. Go, reflect upon yourselves. "

The assembly adjourned with fates leaving the hall along with the hero.

The moment the Gods came out of their trance, Nemesis embraced Eris, sobbing in her arms. Her siblings surrounded her. All crying and sobbing. Zeus was glared at by his siblings whose looks promised pain if he dared to harm any one. Athena looked shaken and Artemis embraced her. Hera looked morose with Demeter trying to console her. Aphrodite sobbed with her children trying to calm her. All Olympians looked stunned and ashamed. Thetis held her son close, unwilling to let go

The break ended with all the male gods and heroes swearing to never take a lover without their proper consent. Zeus apologized to Eris and Nemesis promising to stay away and to never harm them.

The break ended and the assembly began again. But this time the minor Gods seemed much closer than before.

Hestia nodded at fates, glad to see her family improving, and began reading -

**"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."**

  
"He won't" Poseidon swore glaring at Zeus.

**It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.**

**I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me.**

Our children shouldn't suffer due to our problems" Apollo snapped and other Gods nodded.   
Zeus glared only to be glared back at by many.

  
**I was furious**.

"As he should be" Eris mumbled and minor Gods nodded.

**"So I have to find the stupid bolt," I said. "And return it to Zeus."**

  
"It is not stupid!" Zeus snarled.

"No it is worse" Poseidon snarled back.

**"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"**

  
"

  
There shouldn't be any need for that" Hestia chided and Demeter agreed.

**"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"**

**"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."**

  
"

  
Damn" Heroes mumbled. None had good experiences with Oracles.

**"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"**

**"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."**

"Good reason." Bellerophone said softly. His father grimaced. 

**I swallowed. "Good reason."**

  
Now the sea siblings smiled.

**"You agree then?"**

**I wondered did** **I** **have another choice, except accepting. I stared at Chiro who looked grim. He still averted his eyes from me,** **I** **wondered if he thought of** **me** **as the thief or just wanted to send me away without even proper training to keep the** **other** **campers safe from me.**

  
Chiron flinched. 

**I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.**

**Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill.** **I wondered does he even realize the severity of the affair.** **I was** **the child of broken oath. There was a war on horizon. I have to find the** **thief** **of one** **of** **the greatest weapons in existence. And if** **I** **couldn't do it,** **I** **will be probably tortured to death. Does he even care about that? Or the only thing that matters is his license?**

  
Grover flinched. Every word was worse than a barbed wire. Was this how he appeared to Percy? Someone who was willing to sacrifice him for his success?

Chiron grimaced. He couldn't blame Percy for his apprehensions. They probably never gave him a proper reason to believe them. But still it hurted to hear how selfish they appeared to him.

Poseidon felt his head throb. Just how badly all of them had treated his son?

**"All right," I said, trying to ignore him. I preferred to die on my conditions at least. And not trying will just give them other reason to blame me for. I told Chiron "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."**

  
All grimaced.

**"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."**

  
"What do you mean, ' assuming you are still Sane? The oracle won't harm him" Apollo grumbled.

Chiron winced. Now he couldn't hide anymore.

**Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor.**

**I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.**

**The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else ... a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.**

  
Apollo frowned 

  
**I held my breath and climbed.**

**The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969.**

  
A

res looked interested. 

**By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a long, long time.**

Everyone's mouths dropped open.

**Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain: "I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask**."

  
A

pollo wailed - " My Oracle! What happened to her. Who did this? Why is she like this?"

The whole assembly fell in chaos. The young ones looked scared and older ones stunned. 

Fates answered him -   
" Someone cursed the Oracle. She refused to change body. You will hear about it. Calm down. "

Apollo wanted to snap at them but Hermes pulled him back.

Hestia continued with a look from fates - 

**I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But I forced myself to take a deep breath.**

**The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil, like my demonic math teacher Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either.**

"Observant" Athena muttered as Artemis looked worriedly at her fuming twin.

**I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"**

**The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies**

All stiffened. Threats began pouring. 

**My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist.** **I kept calm.**

**"** Good! Be calm and attentive " Theasus advised. 

**Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle:**

**" You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.** **"**

Many stared at Hades who grimaced. Many winced at the thought of confronting a god.

**His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.**

"Well..." Orion said, swallowing thickly. "That's good..."

  
Zeus nodded wholeheartedly.   
Poseidon frowned. 

**The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.**

More winces.

**Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.**

  
Confused glances all around until Athena gasped and commented- 

" His mother! He wanted to save her"

Confusion turned to sadness. The child didn't deserved that. 

**The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"**

Perseus was nodding along with hero's questions, literally on the edge of his seat.

"Sorry, she won't answer that" Heracles muttered remembering his own audience with Oracle. 

**The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.**

**I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else.**

**My audience with the Oracle was over.**

Apollo nodded, still fuming. 

**"Well?" Chiron asked me.**

**I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."**

**Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"**

  
G

rover winced wondering what Percy might have thought of his excitement. 

**"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."**

**My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She . .. she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."**

"All good things " Zeus mused until Hestia glared at him.

**"I knew it," Grover said.. . ..**

**Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"**

"Yes." Apollo and Hermes said together, nodding along to the words.

**I didn't want to tell him.**

**What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many.** **Actually,** **I** **didn't have any,** **I** **amended as** **I** **watched the glee of Grover, lost in his own thoughts not even conscious of my wariness.**

Grover sobbed . He really was a lousy friend. Pan tried to console him, but he couldn't deny the accusations of the boy. 

**And the last line-I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail.**

"A true one." Apollo commented.

**How could I confess that?** **What am** **I** **supposed to think about that?**

  
Eirene winced.

**"No," I said. "That's about it."**

Hermes winced. Lying like this will make others doubtful. 


	27. The Start

**Hi , there**.

Hestia frowned before continuing -

 **He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass**."

"Very true" Apollo praised.

**I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.**

Heroes nodded. It was something Chiron has done for all of them.

**"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"**

"There are many Gods in West - Western gods of nature, the gods of underworld." Athena muttered. 

**"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"**

Hades winced. "Please don't be talking about me."

Hestia continued and Chiron paled -

**"Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed.**

  
Grover stared at the figure in surprise. He hadn't paid attention, but his hunch was right.

The elder Gods shivered, it seemed so ominous 

**"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken. And we can't neglect his actions against the previous hero."**

  
Hades winced.

Zeus looked tired. Hera looked indifferent and others looked down.

**I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades."** **At** **least** **that was what** **I** **believed Chiron was talking about. While** **I** **am sure** **that** **he took my mother, however... why is it that** **I** **feel wrong? Besides in my dream it seemed as if time** **had** **stand still, as** **I** **tried to reach the fighting men.**

"And... there it is." The Underworld ruler sighed.

His siblings shared nervous looks. If not Hades then who?

**Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."**

  
"The only possiblity I was willing to accept " Chiron explained at the glower of Underworld rulers. 

**A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"**

  
Pan grimaced. Grover shivered remembering his almost fall in tartarus. 

**"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades.** "

"That's true" Philotes mused as Zagerus glared.

Hades nodded, it was indeed true. 

**"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon... ."**

  
"Not exactly. As long as the brats remember his limits, I don't care much about their parents." Hades commented. 

Heroes shared wary looks.

**"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."**

"Well, that's not a bad analysis " Athena muttered as Persephone glowered.

" No, it isn't. " Apollo agreed. " Look at this in a logical manner. The last child born of broken oath, was killed by Hades. Hades sent his monster twice after the hero. His monster took the boy's mother when he couldn't kill the hero. A hellhound entered the boundaries of camp, despite its being a neutral place. All signs point towards Hades. I am not saying that he did the theft. But he does fulfill all conditions. Perhaps that's what Chiron thought when he suggested his name as the culprit. "

Hades grumbled but nodded. It was logical.

Chiron nodded towards Apollo in gratitude

The other nodded back.

**"Great," I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me.** "

Poseidon paled. The sea siblings looked grim.

Hestia frowned in disappointment. 

**"But a quest to ..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."**

Pan winced. His Satyrs never did well in underground.

**"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."**

"So I believe the boy will be getting his wish. He will descend in Underworld. " Ares commented offhandedly 

Poseidon and his children grimaced. 

Hades groaned.

**A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to kill me and frame my sire for a theft we hadn't committed.**

  
Hades grimaced and Grover winced .

**I was ready to take him on.**

This caused some amused looks. Grover snorted silently. Oh Percy was more than ready to take anyone on. Even then.  
Clarisse grimaced at the reminder of whom exactly Percy had taken on.

Poseidon shook his head at the amused glances of his brothers.

**Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld ...**

  
The mothers smiled sadly.

**I had to try** **at least** **.**

Heroes smiled.

**Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god**.

"So, he does have some brain. Far better than his father and brothers" Hades smirked at the glower of sea-clan.

**Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.**

  
Grover grimaced remembering the bad stomach later.

**I guess the reality finally sank in.** **The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but he needed to travel to Underworld with me. His nervous state made me feel amused, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide.** **I couldn't do that to him. That would be cruel.**

  
Pan winced but nodded. At least the Satyr had a good friend. 

**"Look, if we know it's Hades," I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and talk it out between themselves."**

  
"

Because they're unable to meet me, unless I want to." Hades smirked, at least this rule kept them from meddling in his rule. 

Zeus and Poseidon grimaced but nodded. That rule was necessary to keep them all in their boundaries. 

**"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon and Zeus does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"**

  
Heroes groaned. None of them liked to be part of godly affairs. But they never got a choice to back out. 

The Gods exchanged glances. 

**"You're saying I'm being used."**

This made all wince. Poseidon flinched. 

**"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."**

**My sire needs me.** **Was that supposed to mean something? After all** **this** **years,** **I** **finally learned about his being alive, only to learn that his acceptance of me was forced. That, the only reason he finally noticed me was to play a gamble. I remembered begging for a father who could take me away from Gabe and all of that. Now,** **I** **have one, but** **I** **am only a tool for him.**

  
Poseidon flinched. No matter the reasons, his future self failed completely regarding his son. 

**Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.** **What should** **I** **say? Can** **I** **deny now? Was this how previous heroes had felt when they were assigned a quest?**

All stiffened, unable to meet each other's eyes.

**The** **Gods** **already know of my existence. There are already attacks. If the bolt isn't found it will give them a justified reason to punish me. If** **I** **accept the quest,** **I** **can at least die a hero. Trying to prove my innocence. Otherwise,** **I** **will die a coward. Besides, the other campers would never forgive me if another attack happened, in case** **I** **tried to back out the quest.**

Chiron flinched. Clarisse grimaced. Reading about it in this manner...was painful. It was hard to listen that Percy felt that only by accepting the quest he could at least appease the campers.

**I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"** **The way he sometimes stared at me was confusing to say the least. It was as if he is looking at someone else.**

Poseidon looked at Chiron who nodded. 

**"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."**

"And that he looked exactly liked his father. A softer version, but of his father, nonetheless " Chiron explained as others nodded. It was true afterall. 

**I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.**

Hermes and Harpocrates grinned.

**"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."**

"It seems so" Athena muttered and Poseidon groaned. 

**"Check," Chiron said.**

Chiron winced. 

**"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."**

“They do realized that it is not something a twelve year old untrained boy should be sent to do?” Apollo asked, his brows furrowed. 

  
"They have no choice. Actually, the hero has no other choice unless he wants to be sitting duck for murder attempts by our family" Hermes muttered.

Both grimaced.

**"Check."**

Poseidon face palmed.

**"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."**

Zeus nodded eagerly. Hera stifled a snort.

**"That's about right."**

All others, except Zeus, scowled. The boy was hardly ready for such heroics.

**I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.**  
  
P

  
an grimaced

Grover winced.

**"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.**

Phobos snorted. 

**"** **You don't have to go," I told him. "I can't ask that of you.** **This is dangerous on completely other level. I can't guarantee your safety. I can't force you to do so. You don't have to come."**

  
Pan smiled. Yes, his Satyr had a good friend.

Hestia smiled too.

**"Oh ..." He shifted his hooves. "No ... it's just that satyrs and underground places ... well..."**

Eirene winced.

**He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."**

Pan smiled at that. His Satyrs were brave no matter what.

**I felt relieved. Even if I knew that he has his own reasons to accompany me, Grover was the only friend, a bit suspicious though, I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he'd be with me.**

  
Philotes smiled. There was a chance for friendship.

**"All the way, G-man." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."**

All exchanged looks. 

**"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."**

"Thankfully" Poseidon mused, it would be hard to scale the whole west for Underworld.

**"Where?"**

"Yes, do be precise" Athena groused and both Chirons flushed much to the amusement of his old and new students. 

**Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."**

  
**"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—** "

"Plane?" Athena asked

"A mortal method of transport through sky" Clotho informed.

"No!" The sea entourage yelled.

 **"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?** "

"Thank chaos!" Poseidon swore.

**I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.**

  
Hestia looked saddened at that. The fights between brothers caused troubles for mortals.

  
**"** **Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."**

  
Poseidon nodded glaring at Zeus, who glared back. Sky was his domain and he hated intruders.

  
**Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.**

"Oh stop it" Demeter grumbled and Zeus glared.

**"Okay," I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."**

Poseidon nodded sagely.

The other sea siblings winced a bit at that. They remembered their own strict instructions to stay as far away from sky as possible.   


**"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help.** "

"Who?" Ares frowned. It was a dangerous quest, the fight between sea and sky was scary enough to make many Gods back away. Who could volunteer for such quest?

Chiron grimaced.

 **"Gee," I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?** "

Athena groaned. It must be her daughter who wanted to join the quest.

**The air shimmered behind Chiron.**

**Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.**

  
The council frowned at that. This was wrong. The girl shouldn't have been allowed to listen to the assignment of quest without a formal invitation from the hero.

Chiron grimaced remembering how he himself had allowed her to listen breaking many rules.

**"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."**

  
All frowned. The girl was insulting the hero, his parentage, his ability and still wanted to join the quest.

Athena looked appalled at the glares of Poseidon. It wasn't her who asked the girl to behave so rudely.

**"If you do say so yourself," I said, trying to ignore her rudeness. A part of me didn't wanted her with me on the quest. She** **was** **calculating and** **I** **wasn't sure about her reasons. But** **I** **sadly didn't have much choice. The campers were already keeping their distance."I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?** "

Grover winced and Poseidon grimaced. It was true afterall. 

**Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?** "

"He does, but you don't have to be this rude" Theasus muttered and Athena scowled. 

**The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could ge** t.

Ares and Athena nodded. 

  
**"A trio," I said. "That'll work."**

All nodded.

**"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own** **.**

Heroes nodded. The usual then.

**Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.**

Nature spirits scowled. 

**"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."**

  
"The chapter is done" Hestia passed the book to Apollo.


	28. Fast and Furious

**Here we go**.

Apollo began to read -

** Chapter 11: I Ruin A Perfectly Good Bus **

**It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for m** e.

All heroes nodded, it was good to pack lightly for road.

 **The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas**.

Hermes nodded. They will need money for travel.

 **These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold**.

Gods nodded at that as did past heroes. Clarisse grimaced remembering how they had trouble in exchanging the coin for dollars.

**Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions- whatever that meant.**

Gods looked at Chiron who shrugged.

 **He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt**.

Apollo nodded. As none of them were trained in healing, it was necessary to keep such divine food close to help in healing.

**It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.**

All grimaced but nodded.

 **Before leaving, when Annabeth and Grover were packing their things, my feets took me to the beach. The raging waves made me sad**.

Poseidon looked upset.

 **As far as** **I** **remember,** **I** **always loved the sea. No matter the weather, time or temperature,** **I** **loved just being in the ocean. Before my mother marriage to Gabe, we went to Mauntak many at** **least** **3times a year. I remember crying as my mother tried to pull me away from ocean. I looked forward to every visit there**.

All mortal sons of sea nodded. They were the same afterall.

 **I remembered learning swimming in first attempt. My mother taught me when** **I** **was 2 and she couldn't get me out of sea. She later told me that she thought it would tire me, but** **I** **took to swimming as birds take to fly**.

Poseidon smiled softly.

 **When she married Gabe, it was my** **only** **haven. There were times when** **I** **thought if I could remain by the sea, never leaving its side**.

Poseidon grimaced as did his children.

 **Now, as** **I** **look at the rising storm. All** **I** **feel** **was** **tired**. **I was going to return, but something held me back. It was a** **girl** **, tending to hearth. She was standing with her back towards me. What stopped me was her singing. Her voice reminded me of the lullaby I had heard in the infirmary.**

Chiron and Grover exchanged glances. Clarisse looked curious as did others.

 **She had long brown hairs in a ponytail, they swayed as he hummed by the hearth. As she moved** **I** **realized that I had seen her before. She was the head counselor of Demeter cabin, Katie Gardener**.

Demeter and her children straightened at that. Chiron and other future guests flinched.

 **She was one of the few that didn't glared at me, but kept their distance. I was trying to leave, without making any noise as she looked up and stared at me. Caught in a awkward moment ,** **I** **nodded. To my surprise, she nodded back and even beckoned me**. **A bit wary,** **I** **went near. She asked about my quest - plans and wished me luck for my quest.**

Demeter smiled.

**She must have noticed my surprise state as she smiled softly.**   
**"It is not that** **I** **blame you for anything. But for many, this is the only home they have known. In case of an attack to their home, they lashed out. It is not right and hardly fair or acceptable, but** **I** **wish for you to understand us."**

Poseidon snorted and Demeter glared.

 **I had many things I wanted to say to that. Starting with how horrible they were in whispers as they cursed my birth and my coming to their camp**.

All winced and Demeter flinched.

 **But** **I** **knew better than to comment then. It was hardly an apology or the like, but it was probably the best** **I** **will have from them. Besides i did remembered hearing Katie calling a camper off for trying to trip me. So** **I** **just nodded**.

Hermes nodded. At least he took the diplomatic approach.

 **She wished me luck again and suggested that we chat again when** **I** **return from my quest. I snorted at that** **and** **told her about the dangers of my quest, she chided me for my hopeless state. She told me to have courage and to return safely. I nodded. It felt nice to talk with her, not friendly enough, but almost like acquaintances**.

Philotes smiled. At least he eased up a bit.

**I returned to hill, watching others prepare.** **Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom.**

Athena smiled at that. Clarisse grimaced remembering how exactly the girl had used the gift to eavesdrop on personal conversations and spied on others.

**She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.**

  
"Metal detectors?" Hephaestus murmured.

"A machine to point out metallic materials, they are used to identify metallic objects and weapons " Clarisse said.

"So the knife can be sighted by this machine?" Athena enquired 

"No, as the knife is made of celestial bronze, it will be hidden by mist. " Chiron explained how mist can be manipulated to hide things like this.

**Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.**

  
"Hey" Grover started only to fell silent at the look from Chiron. They did sounded bad.

Pan smiled and shook his head.

**We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.**

The hall filled with light, the fates exchanged glances and the hero stiffened. As the light dimmed, there was a girl about 16, with choppy black hairs and electric blue eyes, standing in front of them in hunters-uniform. She shook her head to clear her sight. As her eyes fell on the assembly, she stiffened. Grover paled as she found the fates and their hero. Her face cloudy, she took out her bow and shot an arrow, before anyone could stop her. Grover rushed to her and the assembly watched stunned as the hero cut down the blessed arrow of Artemis's hunters.

Clarisse rushed to held the girl down as the Gods rose to punish her insolence. Poseidon was going to curse her, only to falter at the silent look from his future son. Chiron tried to calm the others and Clarisse tried to explain everything to the struggling huntress.

The Gods watched as the stranger refused to listen to war's daughter and tried to rush to the hero, only to be caught by the fates.

"That's enough huntress!" Clotho began." Calm down and put your weapon down. Your actions are rude and punishable."

"Calm down" The stranger spat. "You are asking me to calm down, after everything he has done?"

" He did what was necessary to protect himself and others from her monstrous behavior. You don't know the whole truth. Calm down!" Lachesis murmured.

"I can never believe you. She is innocent. I know she is. She is my sister. She did nothing wrong" The girl argued only to flinch at the glare from Atropos.

"In the same manner you knew that boy, didn't you? How did that turn out? He betrayed you didn't he, that boy? So, what is the difference between her and him? As for you, you say the girl is your sister. What about our hero then, don't forget he took upon himself the burden you yourself shrugged away. " Atropos snapped.

"But...but" the girl stuttered.

"It is true ,Thalia" Grover pleaded, making the council startled, " She did many bad things. She played all of us. She betrayed us. She harmed many, she ...she hurt Percy. "

"But.."

"Calm down child." Chiron soothed. " The fates aren't lying. They have no reason to do so. She did all those things and blamed others. I know you cared for her deeply. Let not that blind you from the truth."

This shattered the angry stance of the girl. She looked tired and miserable as other future guests watched worried for her.

The Gods finally got over their stupor. The sons of Zeus nodded to their father and he addressed the girl.  
The girl looked shaken, she looked up surprised at the words from Zeus -

" Thalia...do you mean that she is my future daughter Thalia?"

Thalia stared surprised at the hopeful and caring look of her father and brothers. She silently nodded and Chiron answered on her behalf -

" Yes, my lord! She is your daughter. Thalia meet your father and your brothers."

Zeus looked glad, staring at her. She nodded back, looking shaken and wary.  
Clarisse mumbled about the timeline in Thalia's ears and pulled her to sit with her. But Zeus made another seat appear between his sons and Ares's children and Thalia settled there.

The others watched baffled and Poseidon attempted to at least scold but Fates gave him a warning glance. He took in the shaking figure of his future niece and grumbled but settled down. All were burning with desire to ask the girl about her behavior, but fates glared at Apollo and he began reading -

**Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.**

  
Hera cooed and Zeus grimaced. 

**"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."**

  
Many snorted at that and Chiron flushed.

**I heard footsteps behind us.**

  
Chiron winced.

**Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.**

Thalia winced. Her brothers noticed, but they didn't said anything. Instead, they sobered, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

**"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."**

**Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.**

Hermes raises his eyebrows at Athena, who pointedly ignored Aphrodite's grin and other's reactions around her.

Thalia grimaced.

**"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."**

  
Some surprised looks. Hestia smiled at the show of comradeship.

**He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.**

"Ew." Aphrodite murmured, wrinkling nose in distaste.

  
Her children looked grossed out as well.

**Now, it's not that I like smelling shoes, but few days of watching the pranks of Hermes cabin would make anyone paranoid. Besides, I wasn't sure how would Luke take the news of my quest. His quest went wrong, from what I heard from others. I couldn't be sure that he might not resent me or something. Besides, the shoes rose my hackles for some reason**.

Hermes shook his head denying that his children could have done something harmful to botch the quest.

Hecate and Athena looked thoughtful.

Grover winced remembering the shoes.

**Luke said, "Maia!"**

  
Hermes looked startled.

**White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped them. The** **shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.**

  
Hermes grinned at that. So, they were like his shoes.

Poseidon looked wary. They were unsuitable for his son.

  
**"Awesome!" Grover said**.

"Agreed." Hermes proclaimed, pointing his finger towards his own shoes and grinning at Apollo who snorted.

Grover just bowed his head and mumbled. "They were a lot less cool in person. Believe me, I experienced their coolness."

**Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turned sad.**

"That's... nice...?" Hermes says slowly, but his sentence turned into a question.

"That you gave him that gift, or that he's giving it to the hero? The boy's responses about you were not that nice." Athena asked.

Hermes bites his lip, and Apollo understood. He was thinking the same thing.

**I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift.... It made me flushed almost as much as Annabeth.**

Some completely shocked looks from the future guests.

Hestia smiled softly.

Aphrodite grinned. Hermes looked amused and Poseidon grimaced.

 **Now, don't get me wrong. But it was really nice of him and he didn't owed me anything, so.... . It was surprising to say the least**.

Many nodded. Poseidon looked relieved. His son was far too young to like someone.

**"Hey, man," I said. "Thanks."**

**"Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"**

  
Thalia snorted. Grover winced.

**We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.**

  
Aphrodite grinned. Athena grimaced. Her daughter was far too young right now. Artemis patted her back.

The future guests winced.

**After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating."**

**"Am not."**

"This is... like... _really_ uncomfortable to listen to." Clarisse muttered to Thalia. 

"Shut up." Thalia murmurs, but her voice attracted worried looks from her brothers who exchanged glances. 

**"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"**

  
Athena grimaced. 

**"Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"**

  
"

  
Because you wanted glory for yourself?" Clarisse grunted and Thalia sighed.

**She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.**

  
Some amused looks.

**I picked up the flying shoes and my bad feelings intensified. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?**

  
"No." Hermes sighed looking at his father who shook his head.

"Thanks chaos the boy remembered!" Poseidon praised.

Many grinned at his words.

  
"Probably for the best." Theasus murmured to Orion, who agreed.

**He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you."**

"I'm sure he did meant well." Clarisse snorted, just as Grover proclaimed. "Oh shut up!" 

Gods looked confused but Apollo continued.

**I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"**

  
Pan looked amused. Philotes smiled. 

**His eyes lit up. "Me?"**

  
Grover grimaced at that scene. Hermes grinned. 

**Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.**

  
Many snorted at the image. Grover bleated in an irritated manner.

**"Maia!" he shouted.**

**He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.**

"Poor thing." Hestia murmured sympathetically, as Hermes winced, his eyes incredibly big. " The first fly is never easy."

**"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"**

  
**"** Really Chiron! He is already in air!" Athena asked as Chiron flushed.

**"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.**

Phobos snorted at the analogy, his hand going over his nose and mouth. Deimos snickered. 

Grover pouted. "Give me a break. I was doing my best."

**Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."**

  
"

  
We did" The heroes agreed.

"He has no time now. " Theasus muttered and Poseidon grimaced remembering that his son only had one week of training.

**"That's okay. I just wish-"**

**I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my sire had given me a magic item or at least a weapon to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap.** **I didn't have any proper instructions or training and** **I** **was not sure about my ability of water-bending. I couldn't find a sword that felt right in my hands and there wasn't enough time for Chiron to train me in** **ot**

"It's not unreasonable to want that." Orion consoled.

Bellerophone nodded in agreement. "We all want something from our parents. Most of the time, we don't get it." The council went quiet from the truth of that sentiment.

**I didn't have any proper instructions or training and I was not sure about my ability of water-bending. I couldn't find a sword that felt right in my hands and there wasn't enough time for Chiron to train me in other weapons.**

  
Poseidon grimaced. He should have sent a weapon at least.

**"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."**

**He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents** **.**

  
Poseidon grimaced.

The future guests, except Thalia who looked sad, grinned.

**"Gee," I said. "Thanks."**

**"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."**

  
Poseidon looked worried. A new prophecy and for his son nonetheless.   
Wonderful.

**I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ?**

  
N

  
ow the others looked surprised.

**I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.**

  
**"** Good" the sea - entourage nodded. At least now he had a proper weapon.

**"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."**

"Tragic history?" Poseidon repeated, his eyebrows drawn together. How come his future self gave his son a weapon with a tragic history?

The future guests grimaced. The hero stiffened.

**"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.**

**"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."**

  
The entire council nodded. Innocents shouldn't be involved in godly affairs. 

**I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"**

"Good question." Athena said, leaning forward. The entire hall, minus the future guests, seemed very interested in learning the answer.

**"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."**

"That's..... . Good to know, I guess." Theasus whispered harshly, his brothers sharing the same sentiment.

Gods stared at Chiron who flushed. He really was out of it.

**"Good to know."** **I wonder what else could** **I** **say to a statement like that.**

"I swear, it's like we have a deeper connection to him." Orion said in awe, moving his fingers around to gesture at the three of them, and then at the book and the figure.

**"Now recap the pen."**

**I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.**

"Same." All the heroes, past and future, said at once. All were familiar with losing their things

  
**"You can't," Chiron said.**

**"Can't what?"**

**"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."**

"You don't think Chiron can actually read minds, do you?" Patroclus asks, his eyes wide.

"Or, he is just a teacher who is familiar with his student's habits of losing things." Achilles guessrd. It could really be either, at this point.

**I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.**

**"It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket."**

**Sure enough, the pen was there.**

The Gods related to magical enchantments looked curious. 

**"Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"**

**Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."**

**"Mist?"**

"Do you tell this kid anything?" Athena asked, her fist pressed to her cheek. 

  
C

hiron flushed. He really didn't taught many things to Percy.

Poseidon grimaced. 

**"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."**

Gods shared looks. At least the books made them a bit aware of future conditions. 

**I put Riptide back in my pocket.**

**For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.**

"When he puts it like that... it sounds just about how bad I'm imagining how this went." Theasus murmured, his hands carding through his hair in despair. His brothers grimaced.

**"Chiron ..." I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"**

**"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."**

"What were the times before the Titans?" Patroclus asks curiously.

Achilles shrugged, his hands going wide. 

"Are you okay?" Clarisse asked Thalia, who kept her head bowed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Thalia answered, her eyebrows furrowed.

**"So what was it like ... before the gods?"**

  
"Must he ask now?" Hades groused and his siblings shared wary looks.

**Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."**

  
The Gods grimaced remember the era. Many looked sick. The elder six looked saddened. 

  
"They ate humans?" Patroclus asked, face twisted in horror.

"It seemed so." Achilles agreed equally disgusted.

**"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"**

**Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."**

  
"

Amen to that" Clarisse said and all nodded. 

**"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is."**

**"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."**

"No pressure." Bellerophone sighed, his voice kind of high pitched. His brothers groaned. 

Poseidon stared baffled at Chiron who looked apologetic. 

**"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed."**

**When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.**

  
**It was time to began my quest**.


End file.
